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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 120 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
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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: season · net · bay · club · ground · court · straw · chip

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. club — for golf
  4. ground — crushed
  5. club — for dancing
  6. court — of a king
  7. net — in sport
  8. season — in sport
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. net — for catching
  11. ground — a position
  12. net — after costs
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. club — a group
  18. chip — to eat
  19. chip — for betting
  20. season — of the year
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. court — of law
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. ground — the earth

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