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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: net · wind · stock · fan · nail · jam · capital · mate

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  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. net — in sport
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. mate — to breed
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — moving air
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. mate — a partner
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. mate — a friend
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. net — after costs
  16. capital — money
  17. stock — goods
  18. stock — shares
  19. capital — a city
  20. net — for catching
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. stock — a soup base
  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