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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: chair · bore · cap · racket · net · hide · ball · race

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. bore — to drill
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. net — for catching
  5. ball — a great time
  6. bore — to tire
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. cap — a lid
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. cap — of ice
  12. ball — a dance
  13. net — after costs
  14. chair — a leader
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. cap — a hat
  17. race — humankind
  18. race — the arms race
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. net — in sport
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. ball — a round shape

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