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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: bowl · track · jam · wind · net · fine · fan · foot

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. wind — moving air
  8. track — to keep track
  9. foot — a measure
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. wind — moving air
  13. fine — high quality
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. net — after costs
  18. track — a song
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. fine — all right
  22. net — for catching
  23. net — in sport
  24. track — a path

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