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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: fan · hide · straw · net · bowl · board · court · present

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. net — in sport
  4. board — a committee
  5. board — to get on
  6. present — the time now
  7. court — for sport
  8. court — of law
  9. net — for catching
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. court — of a king
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. present — there
  20. net — after costs
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. present — a gift
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. bowl — a football final

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