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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: lash · net · chair · bore · fan · saw · court · dip

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  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. saw — past of 'see'
  2. net — for catching
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. chair — a leader
  5. court — of law
  6. net — in sport
  7. dip — to sink
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. court — of a king
  13. saw — the tool
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. bore — to tire
  18. bore — to drill
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. saw — the tool
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. court — for sport
  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