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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.

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: row · net · season · mouse · racket · capital · pitcher · sharp

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. sharp — clever
  3. capital — money
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. season — in sport
  6. season — of the year
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. net — in sport
  10. net — after costs
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. row — to paddle
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. capital — a city
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. row — a line
  22. net — for catching
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. racket — for tennis

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