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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: lie · row · calf · field · band · chip · net · key

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. field — farmland
  3. net — after costs
  4. field — a subject
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. band — a music group
  7. key — the most important part
  8. chip — for betting
  9. key — in music
  10. field — for sport
  11. net — in sport
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. row — a line
  15. lie — to recline
  16. net — for catching
  17. band — a ring
  18. row — to paddle
  19. chip — to eat
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. chip — in a computer

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com