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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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468
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: jam · fork · row · racket · lie · net · hand · mate

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. net — for catching
  4. lie — to recline
  5. fork — in a road
  6. row — a line
  7. net — after costs
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. mate — a friend
  15. hand — help
  16. mate — to breed
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. net — in sport
  19. hand — in cards
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. mate — a partner
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. row — to paddle

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