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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 124 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.

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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: lash · clip · squash · rock · kid · net · racket · track

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. squash — to crush
  3. net — for catching
  4. rock — music
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. net — after costs
  7. kid — to tease
  8. track — a song
  9. clip — a video
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. track — a path
  13. squash — the sport
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. rock — a stone
  16. clip — to cut
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. clip — for paper
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. kid — child
  24. track — to keep track

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