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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.

Make a worksheet

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: present · racket · mine · date · spring · pit · net · last

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  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. racket — for tennis
  2. present — a gift
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. net — after costs
  5. present — there
  6. spring — the season
  7. pit — in a race
  8. last — finally
  9. net — in sport
  10. last — final
  11. spring — of water
  12. date — the fruit
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. pit — a hole
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. spring — a coil
  18. last — to go on
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. mine — for digging
  22. present — the time now
  23. mine — an explosive
  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