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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: court · net · fine · clip · drill · present · deal · bowl

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. present — the time now
  3. present — a gift
  4. fine — all right
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. net — in sport
  7. court — of law
  8. court — for sport
  9. deal — to handle
  10. fine — high quality
  11. net — for catching
  12. clip — a video
  13. drill — the tool
  14. drill — army training
  15. court — of a king
  16. net — after costs
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. present — there
  19. clip — to cut
  20. drill — a practice
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. clip — for paper
  24. deal — an agreement

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