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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: chair · rule · staff · net · face · calf · bass · court

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. net — in sport
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. net — after costs
  5. bass — low music
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. court — for sport
  9. face — to confront
  10. court — of a king
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. bass — the fish
  13. rule — a law
  14. court — of law
  15. chair — a leader
  16. net — for catching
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. rule — government
  19. face — to point toward
  20. staff — employees
  21. staff — employees
  22. staff — a stick
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. face — part of the head

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