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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: net · content · row · court · spell · pass · leaves · bear

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. row — a line
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. bear — the animal
  6. content — the amount
  7. court — of law
  8. net — for catching
  9. court — for sport
  10. bear — the animal
  11. pass — a permit
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. spell — magic
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. spell — a short time
  17. row — to paddle
  18. content — happy
  19. spell — letters
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. net — after costs
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. court — of a king

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