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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 124 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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. key — for a lock
  4. cell — in biology
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. cue — a signal
  7. net — for catching
  8. track — a song
  9. key — in music
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. track — a path
  12. track — to keep track
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. cue — a hint
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. plane — a tool
  17. pitch — completely
  18. net — in sport
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. cue — for pool
  21. key — the most important part
  22. net — after costs
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. cell — a phone

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