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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: net · tear · field · lash · chair · chip · suit · clip

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. clip — a video
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. suit — clothes
  5. net — after costs
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. chip — for betting
  9. chair — a leader
  10. net — for catching
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tear — to rip
  13. suit — to fit
  14. field — farmland
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. clip — to cut
  17. net — in sport
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. suit — in cards
  20. field — a subject
  21. chip — to eat
  22. tear — from crying
  23. clip — for paper
  24. field — for sport

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