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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 116 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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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: spring · lash · court · pitcher · net · face · chip · can

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. can — a tin
  3. net — in sport
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. chip — to eat
  6. face — part of the head
  7. court — of a king
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. net — after costs
  10. face — to point toward
  11. court — for sport
  12. spring — of water
  13. net — for catching
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. can — a tin
  16. court — of law
  17. face — to confront
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. spring — the season
  21. chip — for betting
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. spring — a coil
  24. can — to be able to

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