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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.

Make a worksheet

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: hand · hide · firm · lash · squash · fork · net · land

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. net — for catching
  4. hand — in cards
  5. net — in sport
  6. net — after costs
  7. fork — in a road
  8. firm — steady
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. squash — the sport
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. firm — a company
  14. land — a country
  15. hand — help
  16. land — to come down
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. land — ground
  20. squash — to crush
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. hide — to keep secret

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