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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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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: straw · toast · fine · deal · lean · net · chair · bark

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. net — after costs
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. chair — a leader
  9. deal — to handle
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. toast — bread
  12. fine — high quality
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. net — for catching
  21. fine — all right
  22. net — in sport
  23. bark — to shout
  24. lean — to bend

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