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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.

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: march · net · hide · cabinet · bound · lash · ball · fan

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. march — the month
  4. march — the month
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. bound — tied together
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. ball — a great time
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. bound — obliged
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. net — for catching
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. net — after costs
  19. bound — certain
  20. net — in sport
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. march — music
  23. ball — a dance
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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