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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 116 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: net · mate · chair · fine · stand · hand · land · pop

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. fine — all right
  3. chair — a leader
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. net — for catching
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. land — to come down
  8. hand — help
  9. stand — to bear
  10. land — a country
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. pop — to visit
  13. net — after costs
  14. pop — soda
  15. mate — a friend
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. mate — to breed
  19. land — ground
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. fine — high quality
  22. net — in sport
  23. mate — a partner
  24. hand — in cards

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