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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: chair · band · row · cue · bat · net · racket · arm

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. row — a line
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. cue — a hint
  6. net — after costs
  7. band — a music group
  8. cue — for pool
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. bat — the animal
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. net — for catching
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. net — in sport
  17. cue — a signal
  18. row — to paddle
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. band — a ring
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. chair — a leader

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