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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: net · court · mouse · leaves · stick · perch · jam · field

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. net — after costs
  4. field — farmland
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. perch — the fish
  7. court — of law
  8. field — for sport
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. net — for catching
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. net — in sport
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. field — a subject
  23. court — for sport
  24. court — of a king

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