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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: saw · pass · net · date · mug · rash · bat · land

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. net — in sport
  3. saw — the tool
  4. pass — a permit
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. mug — to rob
  8. rash — hasty
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. rash — a series
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. land — ground
  13. net — for catching
  14. net — after costs
  15. land — a country
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. bat — the animal
  18. mug — a cup
  19. land — to come down
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. mug — a face
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. date — the fruit

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