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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: net · swing · fork · last · racket · board · march · land

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. swing — in golf
  3. march — the month
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. net — after costs
  6. last — to go on
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. march — the month
  11. net — in sport
  12. march — music
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. net — for catching
  15. last — finally
  16. last — final
  17. land — to come down
  18. land — a country
  19. swing — to play on
  20. fork — in a road
  21. swing — music
  22. board — a committee
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. land — ground

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