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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. mug — a cup
  3. net — in sport
  4. net — for catching
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. staff — employees
  8. clip — for paper
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. staff — a stick
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. net — after costs
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. clip — to cut
  17. game — a match
  18. game — wild animals
  19. mug — to rob
  20. clip — a video
  21. staff — employees
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. pitch — completely
  24. chair — a leader

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