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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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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: wake · kid · bay · row · stand · court · net · pitcher

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. court — of law
  8. kid — child
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. net — for catching
  12. net — in sport
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. court — of a king
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. wake — a trail
  19. court — for sport
  20. kid — to tease
  21. stand — to bear
  22. net — after costs
  23. row — a line
  24. row — to paddle

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