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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.

Words on the sheet
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: ground · cabinet · net · last · lash · race · racket · season

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. season — in sport
  4. ground — crushed
  5. race — humankind
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. ground — the earth
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. race — a contest
  13. ground — a position
  14. last — final
  15. last — finally
  16. last — to go on
  17. net — after costs
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. race — the arms race
  20. season — of the year
  21. net — for catching
  22. net — in sport
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. racket — for tennis

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