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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: date · board · net · capital · racket · land · safe · court

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. court — of law
  4. capital — money
  5. land — a country
  6. board — to get on
  7. land — ground
  8. net — for catching
  9. court — for sport
  10. date — the fruit
  11. board — a committee
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. capital — a city
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. land — to come down
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. net — in sport
  21. court — of a king
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. net — after costs

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