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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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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: nail · craft · fork · game · hand · net · pound · racket

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. craft — boats
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. game — wild animals
  8. net — for catching
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. fork — in a road
  11. net — after costs
  12. hand — help
  13. net — in sport
  14. hand — in cards
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. game — a match
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. craft — a skill
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. nail — for a hammer

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