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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: track · swing · nail · hand · net · kick · fork · bound

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. bound — obliged
  5. swing — in golf
  6. track — a path
  7. hand — help
  8. net — in sport
  9. swing — music
  10. track — a song
  11. track — to keep track
  12. net — for catching
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. net — after costs
  17. kick — in football
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. fork — in a road
  21. swing — to play on
  22. hand — in cards
  23. bound — certain
  24. bound — tied together

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