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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: pitcher · straw · net · mark · date · nail · ground · race

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. race — the arms race
  4. mark — a grade
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. ground — a position
  8. ground — the earth
  9. net — in sport
  10. date — the fruit
  11. net — after costs
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. race — humankind
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. mark — a trace
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. race — a contest
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. ground — crushed

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