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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. net — after costs
  4. field — for sport
  5. mine — for digging
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. chair — a leader
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. field — farmland
  10. bore — to tire
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. charge — electricity
  14. stand — to bear
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. bore — to drill
  17. field — a subject
  18. cue — a hint
  19. cue — a signal
  20. charge — in control
  21. net — in sport
  22. charge — a price
  23. net — for catching
  24. chair — a professorship

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