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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: fine · chip · kick · net · kid · rash · field · lash

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. fine — high quality
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. kid — child
  6. fine — all right
  7. rash — hasty
  8. chip — to eat
  9. field — farmland
  10. field — for sport
  11. rash — a series
  12. field — a subject
  13. chip — for betting
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. net — in sport
  17. kid — to tease
  18. net — after costs
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. kick — in football
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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