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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: rock · hand · fine · net · cue · kid · lash · last

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. cue — a signal
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. fine — all right
  5. kid — to tease
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. hand — in cards
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. fine — high quality
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. kid — child
  12. last — to go on
  13. net — in sport
  14. net — after costs
  15. last — final
  16. net — for catching
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. cue — a hint
  19. rock — a stone
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. rock — music
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. last — finally
  24. cue — for pool

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