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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: game · rock · nail · wound · mine · season · net · key

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. wound — an injury
  3. season — in sport
  4. mine — for digging
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. game — a match
  8. wound — an injury
  9. key — in music
  10. rock — music
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. game — wild animals
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. key — for a lock
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. key — the most important part
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. net — after costs
  21. net — for catching
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. rock — a stone
  24. 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