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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: firm · court · net · perch · capital · cue · racket · hide

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. court — of a king
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. cue — a hint
  7. court — of law
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. firm — decided
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. firm — a company
  13. capital — a city
  14. net — after costs
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. capital — money
  18. cue — a signal
  19. net — for catching
  20. cue — for pool
  21. firm — steady
  22. perch — the fish
  23. court — for sport
  24. net — in sport

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