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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: straw · track · net · firm · cabinet · land · swing · mine

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. track — a song
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. net — for catching
  6. land — a country
  7. swing — in golf
  8. firm — a company
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. land — to come down
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. land — ground
  14. net — after costs
  15. swing — to play on
  16. track — to keep track
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. mine — for digging
  20. firm — decided
  21. swing — music
  22. firm — steady
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. track — a path

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