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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. rash — a series
  3. club — a group
  4. net — for catching
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. pitch — completely
  7. chair — a leader
  8. club — for dancing
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. net — after costs
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. plane — a tool
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. kick — in football
  18. rash — hasty
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. mine — for digging
  21. net — in sport
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. club — for golf

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