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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: net · straw · pound · hide · bulb · ground · court · present

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. court — for sport
  3. court — of law
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. bulb — for light
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. ground — crushed
  8. present — a gift
  9. net — in sport
  10. ground — the earth
  11. net — for catching
  12. bulb — for light
  13. present — the time now
  14. net — after costs
  15. present — there
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. pound — a weight
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. ground — a position

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