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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: court · date · rash · cap · net · field · row · racket

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. rash — a series
  3. court — of law
  4. row — to paddle
  5. cap — of ice
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. court — of a king
  8. row — a line
  9. rash — hasty
  10. net — for catching
  11. cap — a lid
  12. field — farmland
  13. net — after costs
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. field — for sport
  19. field — a subject
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. date — the fruit
  22. court — for sport
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. net — in sport

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