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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: can · pass · scale · net · court · bat · kick · present

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. court — for sport
  4. court — of a king
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. can — to be able to
  7. net — after costs
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. kick — in football
  11. can — a tin
  12. present — there
  13. scale — size or range
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. scale — in music
  17. pass — a permit
  18. can — a tin
  19. bat — the animal
  20. net — in sport
  21. present — a gift
  22. court — of law
  23. present — the time now
  24. pass — to succeed

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