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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: net · cold · rash · rush · bore · track · club · pit

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. net — after costs
  4. bore — to tire
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. club — for golf
  7. cold — not warm
  8. track — a path
  9. net — for catching
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. club — a group
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. pit — a hole
  14. cold — an illness
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. net — in sport
  17. rash — hasty
  18. track — to keep track
  19. track — a song
  20. club — for dancing
  21. bore — to drill
  22. rush — hurry
  23. pit — in a race
  24. bore — gave birth

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