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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.

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: fork · racket · coach · tube · net · bass · fall · date

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. fall — the season
  4. net — after costs
  5. bass — the fish
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. bass — low music
  9. net — for catching
  10. tube — the underground
  11. net — in sport
  12. fall — to drop
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. fork — in a road
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. fall — to drop
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. tube — a container
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. date — the fruit
  24. racket — a loud noise

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