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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: sharp · court · staff · tube · bat · pound · net · squash

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. court — of a king
  4. staff — employees
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. staff — employees
  7. bat — the animal
  8. net — in sport
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. tube — the underground
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. squash — to crush
  15. sharp — clever
  16. tube — a container
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. net — for catching
  20. net — after costs
  21. court — of law
  22. squash — the sport
  23. court — for sport
  24. staff — a stick

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