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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: bound · straw · can · nail · chair · mug · net · foot

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. chair — a leader
  3. mug — a face
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. bound — tied together
  7. can — to be able to
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. can — a tin
  13. mug — to rob
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. can — a tin
  17. bound — certain
  18. bound — obliged
  19. foot — a measure
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. net — after costs
  22. net — for catching
  23. mug — a cup
  24. chair — a professorship

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