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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: lie · mouse · ground · snap · club · net · hide · fork

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. snap — to click
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. net — after costs
  5. club — a group
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. ground — the earth
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. net — in sport
  14. net — for catching
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. club — for golf
  18. ground — crushed
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. ground — a position
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. fork — in a road
  23. lie — to recline
  24. club — for dancing

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