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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 120 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 · bound · net · pass · racket · land · mouse · shower

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. shower — rain
  3. net — after costs
  4. pass — a permit
  5. land — to come down
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. land — a country
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. chest — of your body
  14. net — for catching
  15. land — ground
  16. shower — to wash
  17. bound — obliged
  18. bound — certain
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. bound — tied together
  21. net — in sport
  22. chest — of your body
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. mouse — the animal

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