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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: hand · stand · game · rock · wind · net · ball · firm

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. net — after costs
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. hand — in cards
  6. ball — a dance
  7. ball — a great time
  8. game — a match
  9. game — wild animals
  10. wind — moving air
  11. hand — help
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. rock — music
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. firm — steady
  16. net — for catching
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. firm — decided
  20. firm — a company
  21. stand — to bear
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. wind — moving air
  24. rock — a stone

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