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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: face · club · court · ground · jam · net · wave · fine

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. face — to point toward
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. court — for sport
  5. court — of a king
  6. ground — the earth
  7. face — to confront
  8. club — a group
  9. fine — all right
  10. net — in sport
  11. net — after costs
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. club — for dancing
  15. ground — crushed
  16. club — for golf
  17. court — of law
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. face — part of the head
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. fine — high quality
  23. ground — a position
  24. net — for catching

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