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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: arm · land · net · racket · key · chair · lash · rock

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. net — after costs
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. key — for a lock
  6. rock — music
  7. chair — a leader
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. key — the most important part
  11. net — in sport
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. land — a country
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. land — ground
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. rock — a stone
  20. net — for catching
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. land — to come down
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. key — in music

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