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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: spell · field · bay · stick · dip · chair · lie · net

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. net — after costs
  3. field — a subject
  4. net — in sport
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. field — farmland
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. chair — a leader
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. dip — to sink
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. spell — letters
  15. spell — a short time
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. spell — magic
  21. field — for sport
  22. net — for catching
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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