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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.

Make a worksheet

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 · pit · drill · net · last · land · saw · lash

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. pit — a hole
  3. drill — a practice
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. net — after costs
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. drill — army training
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. net — for catching
  10. land — to come down
  11. land — a country
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — the tool
  14. drill — the tool
  15. swing — in golf
  16. land — ground
  17. swing — to play on
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. swing — music
  20. last — finally
  21. last — final
  22. net — in sport
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. pit — in a race

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