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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 120 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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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: bowl · racket · land · row · chest · net · bay · pit

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. net — after costs
  6. land — ground
  7. row — to paddle
  8. land — a country
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. land — to come down
  12. chest — of your body
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. pit — a hole
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. pit — in a race
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. net — in sport
  22. chest — of your body
  23. net — for catching
  24. row — a line

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