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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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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: calf · net · racket · cabinet · chip · field · snap · land

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. net — after costs
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. field — a subject
  6. net — for catching
  7. land — a country
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. chip — for betting
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. net — in sport
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. field — farmland
  17. chip — to eat
  18. field — for sport
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. snap — to click
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. land — to come down
  24. land — ground

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