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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 120 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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. net — after costs
  3. saw — the tool
  4. can — a tin
  5. fine — high quality
  6. bound — tied together
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. bound — obliged
  9. can — to be able to
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. saw — the tool
  12. can — a tin
  13. net — in sport
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. net — for catching
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. fine — all right
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. bound — certain
  24. fine — a penalty

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