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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: court · firm · fan · stock · straw · net · club · ball

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. stock — shares
  3. court — of law
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. club — a group
  6. ball — a dance
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. firm — steady
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. court — for sport
  12. ball — a great time
  13. firm — a company
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. club — for golf
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. net — in sport
  18. club — for dancing
  19. court — of a king
  20. firm — decided
  21. stock — goods
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. net — after costs

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