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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 116 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: racket · net · face · race · pitcher · band · land · wound

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. face — part of the head
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. net — after costs
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — an injury
  8. land — a country
  9. net — for catching
  10. race — a contest
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. face — to confront
  13. net — in sport
  14. race — humankind
  15. race — the arms race
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. face — to point toward
  18. band — a ring
  19. land — ground
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. band — a music group
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. pitcher — a jug

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