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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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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 · nail · hand · ground · mine · present · fan · track

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. net — for catching
  4. net — after costs
  5. ground — the earth
  6. track — a path
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. hand — help
  12. net — in sport
  13. ground — a position
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. hand — in cards
  16. present — there
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. present — a gift
  19. track — to keep track
  20. present — the time now
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. track — a song
  23. ground — crushed
  24. mine — for digging

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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