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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  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. pop — to visit
  2. charge — in control
  3. net — after costs
  4. charge — a price
  5. charge — electricity
  6. net — for catching
  7. band — a ring
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. lean — to bend
  13. band — a music group
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. pop — music
  17. lean — thin
  18. net — in sport
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. cell — a phone
  21. cell — in biology
  22. pop — soda
  23. chair — a professorship
  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