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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.

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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: net · hand · present · squash · game · plane · racket · can

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. squash — the sport
  4. plane — a tool
  5. net — for catching
  6. hand — help
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. can — to be able to
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. hand — in cards
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. net — after costs
  13. present — a gift
  14. can — a tin
  15. net — in sport
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. can — a tin
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. game — wild animals
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. squash — to crush
  22. present — the time now
  23. present — there
  24. game — a match

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