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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. net — after costs
  3. net — for catching
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. net — in sport
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. chair — a leader
  10. present — a gift
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. key — in music
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. present — the time now
  17. pitch — completely
  18. lean — to bend
  19. lean — thin
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. key — for a lock
  22. present — there
  23. key — the most important part
  24. cabinet — ministers

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