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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. chip — for betting
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — the tool
  7. chip — to eat
  8. pop — soda
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. chair — a leader
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. pop — to visit
  13. net — for catching
  14. pop — music
  15. field — a subject
  16. net — after costs
  17. foot — a measure
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. field — for sport
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. field — farmland
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. racket — for tennis

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