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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: land · nail · row · track · sharp · cabinet · season · swing

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. row — a line
  3. season — in sport
  4. swing — music
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. track — a song
  8. swing — in golf
  9. track — a path
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. track — to keep track
  16. land — a country
  17. land — to come down
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. sharp — clever
  20. row — to paddle
  21. season — of the year
  22. swing — to play on
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. nail — for a hammer

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