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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: squash · snap · straw · bank · object · court · net · stand

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. object — a thing
  4. stand — to bear
  5. bank — for money
  6. net — in sport
  7. court — of a king
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. squash — to crush
  10. squash — the sport
  11. object — to protest
  12. bank — for money
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. court — for sport
  15. object — an aim
  16. bank — of a river
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. snap — to click
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. net — after costs
  22. court — of law
  23. net — for catching
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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