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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. suit — in cards
  4. pitch — completely
  5. suit — to fit
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. net — for catching
  9. hand — help
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. suit — clothes
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. stand — to bear
  15. game — a match
  16. net — after costs
  17. sharp — clever
  18. hand — in cards
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. game — wild animals
  24. chair — a leader

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