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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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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: coach · land · arm · net · race · bear · hand · racket

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. race — a contest
  3. land — ground
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. net — after costs
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. bear — the animal
  9. hand — help
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. race — the arms race
  12. hand — in cards
  13. bear — the animal
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. land — a country
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. race — humankind
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. land — to come down
  24. net — for catching

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