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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: mark · bat · net · bass · row · land · nail · fine

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. land — a country
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. net — after costs
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. mark — a grade
  7. land — ground
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. bass — low music
  10. land — to come down
  11. bass — the fish
  12. net — in sport
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. row — to paddle
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. fine — all right
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. fine — high quality
  19. bat — the animal
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. row — a line
  24. net — for catching

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