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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: board · court · bank · bass · roll · rest · wind · net

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. roll — a cake
  3. rest — what's left
  4. court — of law
  5. net — after costs
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. rest — a break
  8. bass — low music
  9. net — for catching
  10. bass — the fish
  11. court — of a king
  12. roll — a list
  13. wind — moving air
  14. bank — for money
  15. bank — for money
  16. board — a committee
  17. wind — moving air
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. board — to get on
  20. net — in sport
  21. bank — of a river
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. court — for sport
  24. wind — to turn a key

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