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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 · fine · drill · kid · patient · racket · perch · land

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. land — a country
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. net — in sport
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. fine — all right
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. drill — a practice
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. kid — child
  11. drill — army training
  12. land — to come down
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. net — for catching
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. kid — to tease
  17. drill — the tool
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. fine — high quality
  22. perch — the fish
  23. land — ground
  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