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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: pitcher · net · mate · saw · rash · track · land · date

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. net — for catching
  3. rash — a series
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — the tool
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. land — ground
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. net — in sport
  10. date — the fruit
  11. rash — hasty
  12. track — to keep track
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. mate — to breed
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. land — to come down
  18. mate — a friend
  19. track — a song
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. net — after costs
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. mate — a partner
  24. land — a country

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