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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: bore · lash · court · squash · net · race · racket · pound

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. race — humankind
  3. bore — to drill
  4. net — after costs
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. net — in sport
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. pound — a weight
  13. squash — to crush
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. race — a contest
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. court — for sport
  19. net — for catching
  20. squash — the sport
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. race — the arms race
  23. court — of law
  24. court — of a king

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