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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. scale — size or range
  5. net — after costs
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bulb — for light
  9. file — a line of people
  10. track — a song
  11. file — a document
  12. chair — a leader
  13. net — for catching
  14. scale — in music
  15. track — a path
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. stock — goods
  18. track — to keep track
  19. stock — shares
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. file — a tool
  22. net — in sport
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. racket — for tennis

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