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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  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 — a leader
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. scale — in music
  4. track — a song
  5. net — in sport
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. track — to keep track
  10. craft — boats
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. pop — soda
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. net — after costs
  16. pop — to visit
  17. pop — music
  18. vault — a safe
  19. track — a path
  20. craft — a skill
  21. scale — size or range
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. pitch — completely
  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