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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: land · chair · kick · stem · bowl · net · court · mark

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. net — in sport
  3. stem — to come from
  4. land — to come down
  5. land — a country
  6. mark — a grade
  7. court — of a king
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. net — for catching
  10. kick — in football
  11. court — for sport
  12. court — of law
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. land — ground
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. mark — a trace
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. chair — a leader
  24. net — after costs

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