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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: craft · land · chair · coach · straw · net · saw · firm

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. saw — the tool
  6. net — in sport
  7. chair — a leader
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. land — to come down
  12. craft — boats
  13. net — for catching
  14. land — a country
  15. firm — a company
  16. craft — a skill
  17. saw — the tool
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. net — after costs
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. land — ground
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. firm — steady

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