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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: bat · net · stand · season · fine · ball

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. fine — all right
  3. season — in sport
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. stand — to bear
  9. net — for catching
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. season — of the year
  12. net — after costs
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. ball — a great time
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. net — in sport
  17. bat — the animal
  18. fine — high quality

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