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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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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: tube · mark · pit · chair · snap · track · foot · racket

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. chair — a leader
  5. mark — a trace
  6. track — a song
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. foot — a measure
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. tube — the underground
  11. track — a path
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. snap — to click
  18. tube — a container
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. pit — in a race
  21. mark — a grade
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. track — to keep track
  24. pit — a hole

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