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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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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: nail · toast · pass · net · field · wind · snap · mark

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. field — for sport
  4. field — a subject
  5. pass — a permit
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. wind — moving air
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. mark — a grade
  13. net — in sport
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. toast — bread
  16. wind — moving air
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. net — for catching
  20. mark — a trace
  21. snap — to click
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. net — after costs
  24. field — farmland

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