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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. net — in sport
  3. stock — goods
  4. charge — electricity
  5. net — after costs
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. foot — a measure
  10. spell — magic
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. chair — a leader
  13. tube — a container
  14. net — for catching
  15. charge — in control
  16. tube — the underground
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. charge — a price
  19. spell — letters
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. stock — shares
  22. lean — thin
  23. lean — to bend
  24. spell — a short time

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