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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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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. staff — employees
  4. key — in music
  5. net — for catching
  6. saw — the tool
  7. net — in sport
  8. chair — a leader
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. mark — a grade
  12. staff — employees
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. key — the most important part
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. stand — to bear
  20. key — for a lock
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. saw — the tool
  23. mark — a trace
  24. staff — a stick

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