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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: rock · jam · net · wake · hide · pit · stick · lash

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. net — for catching
  3. rock — music
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. rock — a stone
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. pit — a hole
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. net — in sport
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. wake — a trail
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. net — after costs
  23. pit — in a race
  24. lash — an eyelash

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