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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: snap · net · perch · rule · court · season · stock · board

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. perch — the fish
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. stock — goods
  6. rule — government
  7. net — for catching
  8. net — in sport
  9. season — in sport
  10. rule — a law
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. snap — to click
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. stock — shares
  16. court — of a king
  17. court — of law
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. board — a committee
  21. net — after costs
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. court — for sport
  24. board — to get on

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