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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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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: net · pound · date · rush · bulb · race · season · row

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. net — after costs
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. race — humankind
  7. season — of the year
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. row — a line
  11. race — the arms race
  12. bulb — for light
  13. pound — a weight
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. date — the fruit
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. rush — hurry
  18. bulb — for light
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. row — to paddle
  21. net — for catching
  22. race — a contest
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. season — in sport

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