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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: racket · court · pass · hand · club · tube · lie · net

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. lie — to recline
  3. court — of law
  4. club — for golf
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. court — of a king
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. tube — the underground
  9. net — after costs
  10. club — for dancing
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. net — in sport
  13. pass — a permit
  14. tube — a container
  15. club — a group
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. court — for sport
  20. net — for catching
  21. hand — help
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. tube — in a tire

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