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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: march · mark · swing · rush · lie · bass · racket · net

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. lie — to recline
  3. rush — hurry
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. bass — low music
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. march — the month
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. march — music
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. swing — music
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. swing — to play on
  18. mark — a trace
  19. net — after costs
  20. mark — a grade
  21. march — the month
  22. net — for catching
  23. bass — the fish
  24. swing — in golf

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