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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 116 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: swing · net · sharp · march · fan · bound · straw · racket

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. swing — to play on
  3. sharp — clever
  4. net — in sport
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. net — after costs
  7. swing — in golf
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. march — the month
  10. net — for catching
  11. bound — tied together
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. march — music
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. bound — certain
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. swing — music
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. march — the month

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