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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: game · net · pound · hide · field · ruler · lash · file

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. file — a document
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. net — in sport
  6. game — a match
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. game — wild animals
  10. file — a tool
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. net — for catching
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. file — a line of people
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. net — after costs
  20. pound — a weight
  21. field — a subject
  22. field — for sport
  23. field — farmland
  24. pound — for dogs

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