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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: leaves · ball · deal · court · net · club · season · race

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. net — after costs
  3. club — for dancing
  4. net — for catching
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. race — humankind
  7. season — in sport
  8. court — of a king
  9. club — a group
  10. ball — a great time
  11. club — for golf
  12. ball — a dance
  13. race — a contest
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. court — of law
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. season — of the year
  19. race — the arms race
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. court — for sport
  22. deal — to handle
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. ball — a round shape

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