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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: firm · net · ground · bark · rest · cell · swing · fine

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. firm — steady
  3. net — after costs
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. cell — a phone
  6. net — for catching
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. rest — a break
  9. swing — music
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. firm — decided
  12. bark — to shout
  13. ground — the earth
  14. rest — what's left
  15. ground — crushed
  16. net — in sport
  17. fine — all right
  18. firm — a company
  19. swing — in golf
  20. fine — high quality
  21. rest — what's left
  22. swing — to play on
  23. ground — a position
  24. cell — in biology

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