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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: lean · board · court · fan · net · cue · rash · bore

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. board — to get on
  3. net — after costs
  4. cue — a hint
  5. net — in sport
  6. cue — for pool
  7. lean — thin
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. rash — a series
  10. bore — to tire
  11. rash — hasty
  12. cue — a signal
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. court — for sport
  16. court — of law
  17. net — for catching
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. court — of a king
  22. board — a committee
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. bore — to drill

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