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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: field · rush · pitcher · deal · net · hand · roll · nail

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. roll — a cake
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. field — for sport
  5. field — a subject
  6. roll — a list
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. net — in sport
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. rush — hurry
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. field — farmland
  17. net — after costs
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. hand — in cards
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. deal — to handle
  23. net — for catching
  24. hand — help

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