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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: kick · key · lash · sharp · branch · cue · pitcher · net

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. net — in sport
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. branch — a division
  7. cue — for pool
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. kick — in football
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. net — for catching
  14. key — for a lock
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. key — the most important part
  17. key — in music
  18. sharp — clever
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. cue — a hint
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. cue — a signal

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