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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: fall · net · object · court · bore · swing · craft · kick

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. bore — to tire
  5. court — of law
  6. net — for catching
  7. fall — the season
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. swing — in golf
  10. object — to protest
  11. fall — to drop
  12. court — for sport
  13. bore — to drill
  14. swing — to play on
  15. object — an aim
  16. craft — boats
  17. swing — music
  18. court — of a king
  19. net — after costs
  20. object — a thing
  21. fall — to drop
  22. kick — in football
  23. craft — a skill
  24. bore — gave birth

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