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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.

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: stand · cold · net · foot · racket · land · current · plane

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. plane — a tool
  5. land — to come down
  6. net — in sport
  7. current — of water
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. land — ground
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. cold — not warm
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. stand — to bear
  14. foot — a measure
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. net — after costs
  18. land — a country
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. cold — an illness
  21. current — electric
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. net — for catching
  24. current — happening now

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