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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: pound · suit · chip · trunk · spell · kid · racket · net

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. net — in sport
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. chip — to eat
  5. spell — letters
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. suit — to fit
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. kid — to tease
  12. chip — for betting
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. kid — child
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. net — after costs
  17. pound — a weight
  18. spell — a short time
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. spell — magic
  23. suit — clothes
  24. net — for catching

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