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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.

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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: net · cap · nail · pitcher · season · rush

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. season — in sport
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. cap — a hat
  6. cap — a lid
  7. cap — of ice
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. net — after costs
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. net — for catching
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. net — in sport
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. season — of the year

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