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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: net · prune · foot · rash · bound · chair · cue · can

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. chair — a leader
  3. rash — a series
  4. bound — certain
  5. prune — to trim
  6. cue — for pool
  7. prune — to trim
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. net — for catching
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. bound — obliged
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. cue — a signal
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. bound — tied together
  17. net — in sport
  18. foot — a measure
  19. rash — hasty
  20. can — a tin
  21. cue — a hint
  22. net — after costs
  23. can — a tin
  24. can — to be able to

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