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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 · ground · dip · cap · bore · racket

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. cap — a hat
  3. bore — to tire
  4. ground — the earth
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. ground — a position
  7. net — in sport
  8. cap — a lid
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. net — after costs
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. bore — to drill
  16. cap — of ice
  17. net — for catching
  18. dip — to sink

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