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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. land — to come down
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. net — after costs
  9. net — for catching
  10. land — a country
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. wake — a trail
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. net — in sport

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