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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: net · fork · cabinet · sharp · court · hide · stock · plane

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. court — of law
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. net — for catching
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. stock — goods
  9. stock — shares
  10. net — after costs
  11. net — in sport
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. court — for sport
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. sharp — clever
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. court — of a king
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. fork — in a road
  24. plane — a tool

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