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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 116 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 · net · face · spring · bound · fine · fall · pitcher

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. face — part of the head
  4. spring — the season
  5. net — for catching
  6. bound — tied together
  7. court — for sport
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bound — obliged
  11. net — in sport
  12. face — to confront
  13. fall — to drop
  14. fine — high quality
  15. fall — to drop
  16. bound — certain
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. fall — the season
  19. spring — of water
  20. face — to point toward
  21. court — of law
  22. court — of a king
  23. net — after costs
  24. fine — all right

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