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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 · ground · club · lash · content · nail · race

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. net — after costs
  3. ground — a position
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. club — for golf
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. race — a contest
  8. net — for catching
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. club — for dancing
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. net — in sport
  14. content — the amount
  15. club — a group
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. ground — the earth
  19. race — the arms race
  20. race — humankind
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. ground — crushed
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. content — happy

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