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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
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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: date · key · racket · mine · snap · land · board · net

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. net — after costs
  3. key — in music
  4. land — ground
  5. land — to come down
  6. date — the fruit
  7. board — a committee
  8. board — to get on
  9. snap — to click
  10. key — for a lock
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. mine — for digging
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. land — a country
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. key — the most important part
  20. net — in sport
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. net — for catching
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. racket — a loud noise

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