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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: net · board · foot · field · racket · court · shower · sharp

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. court — for sport
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. shower — rain
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. sharp — clever
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. court — of a king
  10. field — for sport
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. field — a subject
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. foot — a measure
  17. net — for catching
  18. board — a committee
  19. shower — to wash
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. court — of law
  22. net — after costs
  23. field — farmland
  24. board — to get on

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