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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: board · net · trunk · mug · fan · pass · fall · court

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. board — to get on
  3. net — in sport
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. net — for catching
  6. mug — a cup
  7. mug — a face
  8. fall — to drop
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. mug — to rob
  11. court — of a king
  12. net — after costs
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. court — of law
  21. board — a committee
  22. pass — a permit
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fall — the season

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