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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
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: racket · net · wound · straw · ground · track · fine · mate

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. ground — a position
  4. net — after costs
  5. mate — a friend
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. ground — the earth
  8. fine — high quality
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. track — to keep track
  11. fine — all right
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. wound — an injury
  14. track — a song
  15. net — for catching
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. mate — a partner
  19. ground — crushed
  20. net — in sport
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. mate — to breed
  23. track — a path
  24. wound — an injury

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