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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.

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: key · hide · bowl · hand · fan · kid · net · ruler

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. net — after costs
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. kid — to tease
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hand — help
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. key — in music
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. net — for catching
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. net — in sport
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. kid — child
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. hand — in cards
  23. key — for a lock
  24. bowl — a football final

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