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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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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: fork · bass · cap · net · lean · club · lash · kick

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. bass — the fish
  3. club — for golf
  4. fork — in a road
  5. cap — a hat
  6. net — after costs
  7. net — for catching
  8. club — for dancing
  9. net — in sport
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. bass — low music
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. lean — to bend
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. cap — a lid
  16. club — a group
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. lean — thin
  19. kick — in football
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. cap — of ice
  24. fork — a garden tool

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