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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 116 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: bank · last · court · can · game · net · bowl · bass

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. bass — low music
  3. can — a tin
  4. bank — for money
  5. last — to go on
  6. can — to be able to
  7. game — a match
  8. court — for sport
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. bank — of a river
  12. game — wild animals
  13. bass — the fish
  14. court — of law
  15. net — in sport
  16. court — of a king
  17. net — after costs
  18. last — final
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. last — finally
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. can — a tin
  24. bank — for money

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