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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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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: cue · bowl · racket · net · bore · wind · mine · season

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. wind — moving air
  3. season — in sport
  4. season — of the year
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. net — in sport
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. net — after costs
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. cue — a signal
  16. cue — for pool
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. bore — to drill
  19. bore — to tire
  20. net — for catching
  21. wind — moving air
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. cue — a hint
  24. mine — for digging

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