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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  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. chair — a professorship
  2. field — a subject
  3. prune — to trim
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. fine — high quality
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. prune — to trim
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. field — farmland
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. fine — all right
  15. net — for catching
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. staff — a stick
  18. staff — employees
  19. staff — employees
  20. net — after costs
  21. net — in sport
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. field — for sport
  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