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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: pitcher · net · lie · can · wake · stick · chair · lash

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. net — for catching
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. net — in sport
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. can — a tin
  12. can — a tin
  13. net — after costs
  14. chair — a leader
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. lie — to recline
  18. wake — a trail
  19. can — to be able to
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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