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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: cap · can · hand · racket · coach · tear · pitcher · net

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. tear — from crying
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. cap — of ice
  5. hand — help
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. can — a tin
  8. net — for catching
  9. hand — in cards
  10. can — a tin
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. tear — from crying
  14. net — after costs
  15. can — to be able to
  16. tear — to rip
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. cap — a lid
  23. cap — a hat
  24. racket — for tennis

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