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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: board · net · mark · pit · fall · swing · rash · content

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. board — a committee
  3. net — for catching
  4. swing — in golf
  5. board — to get on
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. content — happy
  9. content — the amount
  10. mark — a trace
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. rash — hasty
  13. swing — music
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fall — to drop
  16. pit — in a race
  17. rash — a series
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. swing — to play on
  20. pit — a hole
  21. mark — a grade
  22. net — in sport
  23. fall — the season
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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