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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: stand · net · mine · land · season · mug · racket · swing

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. net — for catching
  5. net — after costs
  6. mine — for digging
  7. land — a country
  8. swing — music
  9. mug — a face
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. season — in sport
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. land — to come down
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. swing — in golf
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. net — in sport
  18. mug — to rob
  19. season — of the year
  20. land — ground
  21. stand — to bear
  22. swing — to play on
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. mug — a cup

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