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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: pass · nail · bass · mine · perch · land · court · net

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. land — to come down
  3. court — of law
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. net — after costs
  7. net — for catching
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. court — of a king
  11. land — a country
  12. land — ground
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. mine — for digging
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. perch — the fish
  19. pass — a permit
  20. bass — low music
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. net — in sport
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. bass — the fish

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