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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: pass · bass · net · kick · squash · bound · court · foot

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. squash — the sport
  4. bass — low music
  5. pass — a permit
  6. court — of law
  7. net — for catching
  8. bass — the fish
  9. bound — obliged
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. bound — tied together
  13. net — after costs
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. court — of a king
  16. kick — in football
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. court — for sport
  20. foot — a measure
  21. squash — to crush
  22. net — in sport
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. bound — certain

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