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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. saw — the tool
  3. fine — all right
  4. chest — a box
  5. net — after costs
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. foot — a measure
  8. track — to keep track
  9. fine — high quality
  10. spring — the season
  11. net — for catching
  12. chair — a leader
  13. saw — the tool
  14. chest — of your body
  15. track — a song
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. track — a path
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. chest — of your body
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. spring — a coil
  24. spring — of water

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