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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: nail · net · wind · kid · track · jam · swing · fine

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. track — to keep track
  3. fine — high quality
  4. wind — moving air
  5. net — in sport
  6. swing — in golf
  7. net — after costs
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. net — for catching
  12. swing — music
  13. track — a song
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. kid — to tease
  20. wind — moving air
  21. swing — to play on
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. fine — all right
  24. track — a path

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