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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: fall · mate · chair · stick · rest · net · snap · plane

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. rest — what's left
  4. mate — to breed
  5. net — after costs
  6. rest — what's left
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. net — for catching
  9. fall — to drop
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. net — in sport
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. snap — to click
  17. rest — a break
  18. plane — a tool
  19. chair — a leader
  20. mate — a partner
  21. fall — the season
  22. fall — to drop
  23. mate — a friend
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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