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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: swing · cell · bowl · track · hand · tube · saw · net

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. cell — a phone
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. net — in sport
  6. swing — in golf
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. track — a path
  9. swing — to play on
  10. hand — in cards
  11. hand — help
  12. saw — the tool
  13. tube — a container
  14. swing — music
  15. track — to keep track
  16. cell — in biology
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. saw — the tool
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. net — for catching
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. track — a song
  24. tube — the underground

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