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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 · mine · fall · craft · present · court · stand · net

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  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. net — in sport
  2. craft — a skill
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. court — for sport
  6. craft — boats
  7. mine — for digging
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. fall — to drop
  10. perch — the fish
  11. court — of a king
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. net — for catching
  14. present — a gift
  15. fall — to drop
  16. present — the time now
  17. stand — to bear
  18. present — there
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. net — after costs
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. court — of law
  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