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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 · foot · fan · mark · board · hand · rock

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. court — for sport
  6. court — of a king
  7. net — after costs
  8. net — in sport
  9. court — of law
  10. rock — music
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. board — a committee
  13. hand — in cards
  14. board — to get on
  15. hand — help
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. net — for catching
  20. foot — a measure
  21. rock — a stone
  22. mark — a grade
  23. mark — a trace
  24. rock — to move gently

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