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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: club · bark · fine · stock · squash · net · court · mouse

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. club — for golf
  3. stock — goods
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. stock — shares
  6. club — a group
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. net — after costs
  10. club — for dancing
  11. fine — all right
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. court — for sport
  14. squash — to crush
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. bark — to shout
  17. court — of a king
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. fine — high quality
  20. court — of law
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. squash — the sport
  23. net — in sport
  24. net — for catching

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