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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. present — a gift
  3. chair — a leader
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. tube — the underground
  7. net — for catching
  8. net — in sport
  9. tube — a container
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. bank — for money
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. bank — for money
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. bank — of a river
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. present — there
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. present — the time now

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