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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: staff · fan · court · arm · rush · net · plane · rock

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  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. rush — to hurry
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. rush — hurry
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. staff — employees
  9. plane — a tool
  10. net — after costs
  11. staff — a stick
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. rock — music
  14. net — in sport
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. court — for sport
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. court — of a king
  20. court — of law
  21. rock — a stone
  22. staff — employees
  23. plane — in geometry
  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