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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.

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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: net · pass · firm · fork · object · last · racket · rash

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. net — for catching
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. object — an aim
  5. firm — decided
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. rash — hasty
  9. net — after costs
  10. firm — a company
  11. last — finally
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. last — to go on
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. pass — a permit
  17. object — a thing
  18. fork — in a road
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. rash — a series
  21. net — in sport
  22. last — final
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. firm — steady

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