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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: mark · wake · key · hand · rush · foot · pitcher · net

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. mark — a trace
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. key — for a lock
  6. hand — in cards
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. key — in music
  9. net — for catching
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. net — in sport
  14. foot — a measure
  15. wake — a trail
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. key — the most important part
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. hand — help
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. mark — a grade
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. rush — hurry

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