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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 120 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: court · field · snap · suit · present · net · rock · arm

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. present — a gift
  3. field — for sport
  4. suit — to fit
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. net — after costs
  7. suit — in cards
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. court — of law
  10. field — farmland
  11. suit — clothes
  12. court — for sport
  13. court — of a king
  14. field — a subject
  15. snap — to click
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. rock — a stone
  18. present — there
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. net — for catching
  23. present — the time now
  24. rock — music

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