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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: chest · racket · craft · lie · wave · pit · net · rush

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. lie — to recline
  5. net — in sport
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. craft — a skill
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. chest — of your body
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. pit — a hole
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. craft — boats
  18. net — after costs
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. net — for catching
  21. chest — a box
  22. chest — of your body
  23. pit — in a race
  24. craft — a handicraft

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