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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 120 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 · lash · row · net · rock · chest · rash · board

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. net — after costs
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. net — for catching
  7. net — in sport
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. board — to get on
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. kick — in football
  12. rash — hasty
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. chest — of your body
  15. row — to paddle
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. row — a line
  18. chest — of your body
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. rock — a stone
  22. rock — music
  23. board — a committee
  24. rash — a series

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