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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: straw · nail · firm · swing · game · season · net · wave

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. game — wild animals
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. firm — steady
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. swing — in golf
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. firm — decided
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. net — after costs
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. game — a match
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. season — of the year
  20. firm — a company
  21. season — in sport
  22. net — for catching
  23. swing — music
  24. net — in sport

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