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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 116 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: mark · cue · mine · racket · rash · swing · net · coach

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. rash — hasty
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. swing — in golf
  5. swing — music
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. swing — to play on
  8. net — after costs
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. net — for catching
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. cue — a hint
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. mine — for digging
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. mark — a grade
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. mark — a trace
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. cue — a signal
  22. net — in sport
  23. cue — for pool
  24. mine — an explosive

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