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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: racket · net · field · kid · bat · calf · foot · band

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. bat — the animal
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. field — a subject
  7. kid — child
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. field — farmland
  12. net — for catching
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. net — in sport
  15. field — for sport
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. kid — to tease
  20. band — a music group
  21. band — a ring
  22. foot — a measure
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. net — after costs

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