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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: track · fan · net · drill · bowl · lash · last · row

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. drill — army training
  4. track — to keep track
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. row — to paddle
  7. last — to go on
  8. net — in sport
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. net — for catching
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. track — a song
  15. last — final
  16. row — a line
  17. drill — the tool
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. track — a path
  21. drill — a practice
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. last — finally

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