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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: spring · rash · nail · fork · net · mug · swing · pit

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. pit — a hole
  3. mug — a face
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. rash — hasty
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. net — in sport
  8. swing — to play on
  9. net — for catching
  10. pit — in a race
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. swing — in golf
  15. spring — a coil
  16. fork — in a road
  17. swing — music
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. rash — a series
  20. spring — of water
  21. mug — to rob
  22. mug — a cup
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. spring — the season

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