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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: perch · net · wound · dip · drill · court · game · suit

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. drill — army training
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. game — wild animals
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. game — a match
  8. perch — the fish
  9. court — of a king
  10. drill — the tool
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — an injury
  13. suit — in cards
  14. court — of law
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. net — after costs
  17. suit — clothes
  18. dip — to sink
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. suit — to fit
  21. court — for sport
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. drill — a practice
  24. net — for catching

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