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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 120 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: net · lie · chair · saw · mine · spell · cap · club

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. chair — a leader
  3. cap — of ice
  4. spell — letters
  5. cap — a lid
  6. club — for golf
  7. net — for catching
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. spell — a short time
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. club — for dancing
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. saw — the tool
  15. lie — to recline
  16. cap — a hat
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. net — in sport
  19. spell — magic
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. club — a group
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. net — after costs
  24. saw — the tool

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