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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: track · racket · stick · net · land · chip · lie · cap

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. land — a country
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. chip — to eat
  7. chip — for betting
  8. net — after costs
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. track — to keep track
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. track — a song
  14. land — to come down
  15. net — for catching
  16. cap — of ice
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. cap — a hat
  20. lie — to recline
  21. land — ground
  22. net — in sport
  23. track — a path
  24. lie — an untruth

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