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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: fall · fan · bound · jam · bore · court · net · bat

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. bound — certain
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fall — to drop
  6. net — after costs
  7. fall — the season
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. bound — tied together
  10. net — in sport
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bore — to tire
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. bore — to drill
  16. court — of law
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. court — for sport
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. court — of a king
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. fall — to drop
  24. bound — obliged

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