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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: bark · mine · rush · net · sharp · stand · jam · bowl

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. rush — hurry
  3. net — after costs
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. bark — to shout
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. stand — to bear
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. net — in sport
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. mine — for digging
  19. sharp — clever
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. net — for catching
  24. rush — a thrill

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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