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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: scale · board · fan · kid · lash · row · net · clip

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. kid — to tease
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. kid — child
  5. row — a line
  6. clip — for paper
  7. scale — in music
  8. clip — a video
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. row — to paddle
  11. net — in sport
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. board — to get on
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. clip — to cut
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. scale — size or range
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. board — a committee
  24. net — after costs

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