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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: racket · craft · race · pop · net · land · chest · season

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. net — for catching
  4. race — a contest
  5. chest — a box
  6. craft — boats
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. pop — soda
  9. craft — a skill
  10. season — in sport
  11. net — in sport
  12. land — ground
  13. chest — of your body
  14. season — of the year
  15. chest — of your body
  16. race — humankind
  17. pop — music
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. land — to come down
  20. land — a country
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. race — the arms race
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. pop — to visit

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