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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: nail · stock · row · root · net · kick · chair · face

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  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. nail — on a finger
  2. net — in sport
  3. chair — a leader
  4. face — to point toward
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. face — part of the head
  7. root — of a word
  8. row — a line
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. root — the cause
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. stock — goods
  15. stock — shares
  16. net — for catching
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. row — to paddle
  19. net — after costs
  20. root — of a plant
  21. face — to confront
  22. kick — in football
  23. nail — for a hammer
  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