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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 116 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: scale · ball · net · fan · firm · stand · court · fork

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. net — after costs
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. firm — a company
  7. court — of a king
  8. firm — decided
  9. scale — size or range
  10. net — for catching
  11. court — for sport
  12. ball — a dance
  13. net — in sport
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. court — of law
  17. fork — in a road
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. scale — in music
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. stand — to bear
  22. ball — a great time
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. stand — on your feet

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