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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
468
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: straw · chair · stand · racket · game · bass · net · capital

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  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. stand — for spectators
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. net — for catching
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. chair — a leader
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. capital — a city
  10. bass — low music
  11. net — after costs
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. game — wild animals
  16. capital — money
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. stand — to bear
  19. bass — the fish
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. game — a match
  22. net — in sport
  23. chair — to sit on
  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