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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 keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. land — ground
  3. scale — in music
  4. lean — thin
  5. land — a country
  6. chair — a leader
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. staff — employees
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. net — in sport
  11. land — to come down
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. net — for catching
  14. lean — to bend
  15. track — a path
  16. scale — size or range
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. track — a song
  20. net — after costs
  21. staff — employees
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. staff — a stick
  24. racket — a loud noise

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