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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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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: saw · foot · chair · track · swing · cue · racket · fine

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. cue — a hint
  3. track — a path
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. foot — a measure
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. swing — in golf
  11. fine — high quality
  12. cue — a signal
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. swing — to play on
  15. track — to keep track
  16. track — a song
  17. fine — all right
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. saw — the tool
  20. cue — for pool
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. swing — music
  24. chair — to sit on

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