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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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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 · wave · plane · court · bat · fork · rest · perch

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. net — in sport
  3. court — for sport
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. court — of a king
  7. rest — what's left
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. rest — a break
  11. court — of law
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. rest — what's left
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. net — after costs
  17. fork — in a road
  18. bat — the animal
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. net — for catching
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. perch — the fish
  24. plane — in geometry

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