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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 120 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: cold · stand · track · can · racket · net · wave · chest

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. can — a tin
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. track — to keep track
  9. can — a tin
  10. net — after costs
  11. net — in sport
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. chest — a box
  14. cold — an illness
  15. chest — of your body
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. stand — to bear
  18. net — for catching
  19. track — a path
  20. cold — not warm
  21. track — a song
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. chest — of your body
  24. can — to be able to

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