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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: track · chair · cap · hand · net · foot · game · suit

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. track — to keep track
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. suit — in cards
  7. chair — a leader
  8. suit — clothes
  9. track — a song
  10. game — a match
  11. hand — in cards
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. track — a path
  14. cap — a lid
  15. game — wild animals
  16. foot — a measure
  17. hand — help
  18. net — for catching
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. net — in sport
  21. cap — a hat
  22. suit — to fit
  23. net — after costs
  24. cap — of ice

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