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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. chair — a leader
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. mug — a face
  7. net — in sport
  8. row — to paddle
  9. mug — to rob
  10. court — of a king
  11. mug — a cup
  12. court — for sport
  13. row — a line
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. net — after costs
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. court — of law
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. snap — to click

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