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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: rush · net · staff · kid · bowl · rash · field · race

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. net — in sport
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. net — for catching
  5. kid — child
  6. net — after costs
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. staff — employees
  11. staff — employees
  12. race — a contest
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. rash — a series
  15. rash — hasty
  16. staff — a stick
  17. field — farmland
  18. field — for sport
  19. race — humankind
  20. race — the arms race
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. field — a subject
  24. kid — to tease

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