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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: nail · roll · court · net · saw · bat · lash · mug

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. saw — the tool
  5. court — for sport
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. net — for catching
  8. net — in sport
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. roll — a cake
  11. court — of law
  12. court — of a king
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. mug — to rob
  15. bat — the animal
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. net — after costs
  18. mug — a face
  19. mug — a cup
  20. saw — the tool
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. roll — a list
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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