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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. track — a path
  3. key — the most important part
  4. charge — electricity
  5. track — a song
  6. net — in sport
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. track — to keep track
  9. bass — low music
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. charge — in control
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. net — after costs
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. bass — the fish
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. charge — a price
  20. chair — a leader
  21. key — for a lock
  22. key — in music
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. net — for catching

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