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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 · firm · chair · field · cue · fall · cap · bat

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. cap — of ice
  3. firm — steady
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. cap — a hat
  6. fall — to drop
  7. net — after costs
  8. bat — the animal
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — the season
  11. cap — a lid
  12. net — for catching
  13. cue — for pool
  14. chair — a leader
  15. field — for sport
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. field — a subject
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. firm — a company
  20. field — farmland
  21. net — in sport
  22. cue — a signal
  23. cue — a hint
  24. firm — decided

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