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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.

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: swing · ground · net · rest · cabinet · date · row · rash

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. date — the fruit
  3. swing — to play on
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. rash — a series
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. swing — music
  9. row — a line
  10. swing — in golf
  11. net — for catching
  12. rest — a break
  13. rest — what's left
  14. net — after costs
  15. ground — a position
  16. rest — what's left
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. ground — crushed
  19. ground — the earth
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. row — to paddle
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. rash — hasty
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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