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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: court · bat · snap · stand · fine · dip · perch · net

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. net — after costs
  4. court — of law
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. court — of a king
  7. snap — to click
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. net — for catching
  10. perch — the fish
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. bat — the animal
  14. net — in sport
  15. court — for sport
  16. fine — high quality
  17. fine — all right
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. stand — to bear
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. dip — to sink
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. fine — a penalty

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