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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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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: chip · race · swing · hide · bulb · bore · net · lash

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. bulb — for light
  3. net — after costs
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. bore — to tire
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. net — in sport
  8. chip — to eat
  9. race — humankind
  10. chip — for betting
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. swing — in golf
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. race — a contest
  15. bulb — for light
  16. race — the arms race
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. net — for catching
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. swing — to play on
  22. swing — music
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. bore — to drill

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