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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.

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: rash · land · hand · net · suit · march · racket · bat

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. rash — hasty
  3. hand — in cards
  4. bat — the animal
  5. march — the month
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. land — to come down
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. march — the month
  13. land — a country
  14. suit — clothes
  15. march — music
  16. net — in sport
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. land — ground
  19. suit — in cards
  20. net — after costs
  21. hand — help
  22. net — for catching
  23. rash — a series
  24. suit — to fit

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