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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: net · sharp · bore · cold · court · rash · club · mouse

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. club — for golf
  3. rash — a series
  4. bore — to drill
  5. net — for catching
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. court — of law
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. net — in sport
  11. court — of a king
  12. cold — not warm
  13. cold — an illness
  14. court — for sport
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. club — a group
  18. club — for dancing
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. rash — hasty
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. bore — to tire
  23. net — after costs
  24. mouse — the animal

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