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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 120 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 · chair · ground · fine · fan · nail · pass · racket

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. chair — a leader
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. ground — crushed
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fine — high quality
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. ground — the earth
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. pass — a permit
  16. net — for catching
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. ground — a position
  22. fine — all right
  23. net — in sport
  24. racket — for tennis

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