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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. rock — music
  3. staff — employees
  4. bear — the animal
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. rock — a stone
  8. track — a song
  9. net — after costs
  10. stem — to come from
  11. file — a tool
  12. file — a document
  13. net — in sport
  14. staff — employees
  15. track — a path
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. chair — a leader
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. bear — the animal
  21. track — to keep track
  22. file — a line of people
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. staff — a stick

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