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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: row · swing · wound · file · pound · net · vault · cue

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. row — a line
  3. swing — in golf
  4. file — a line of people
  5. wound — an injury
  6. vault — a safe
  7. file — a document
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. file — a tool
  11. net — in sport
  12. wound — an injury
  13. cue — a hint
  14. row — to paddle
  15. swing — music
  16. cue — for pool
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. swing — to play on
  21. pound — a weight
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. cue — a signal
  24. net — for catching

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