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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.

Make a worksheet

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 · leaves · chair · perch · fine · rule · pitcher · wind

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. net — for catching
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. wind — moving air
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. chair — a leader
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. fine — high quality
  15. rule — a law
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. wind — moving air
  18. perch — the fish
  19. net — after costs
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. fine — all right
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. rule — government

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