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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
468
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: cell · track · mate · scale · net · present · chair · season

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. track — a path
  3. present — the time now
  4. net — after costs
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. mate — a partner
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. season — of the year
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. net — for catching
  11. track — to keep track
  12. present — there
  13. chair — a leader
  14. cell — a phone
  15. scale — in music
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. season — in sport
  18. mate — to breed
  19. cell — in biology
  20. net — in sport
  21. present — a gift
  22. scale — size or range
  23. mate — a friend
  24. chair — to sit on

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