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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: swing · can · stick · net · dip · lash · cold · calf

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. cold — not warm
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. can — a tin
  6. can — to be able to
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. cold — an illness
  11. net — for catching
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. net — in sport
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. swing — in golf
  17. dip — to sink
  18. swing — music
  19. net — after costs
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. swing — to play on
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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