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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 116 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: bay · bank · bowl · craft · pitcher · racket · net · cold

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. bank — for money
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. net — in sport
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. bank — for money
  10. craft — a skill
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. bank — of a river
  13. net — after costs
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. craft — boats
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. cold — an illness
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. net — for catching
  24. racket — for tennis

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