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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 116 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 · lash · bay · squash · key · hand · field · ruler

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. net — in sport
  4. net — for catching
  5. squash — to crush
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. key — for a lock
  9. net — after costs
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. hand — help
  13. field — farmland
  14. field — for sport
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. field — a subject
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. hand — in cards
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. squash — the sport
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. key — the most important part
  24. squash — the vegetable

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