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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: net · pass · court · mine · leaves · fork · row · cap

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. court — of a king
  3. net — in sport
  4. court — of law
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. net — for catching
  9. cap — a hat
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. fork — in a road
  13. mine — for digging
  14. cap — of ice
  15. court — for sport
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. row — to paddle
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. row — a line
  22. cap — a lid
  23. pass — a permit
  24. row — a quarrel

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