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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: fork · stock · fall · bat · saw · chair · net · suit

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. fall — the season
  4. net — in sport
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. saw — the tool
  7. net — after costs
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. stock — goods
  11. fork — in a road
  12. net — for catching
  13. suit — clothes
  14. stock — shares
  15. suit — in cards
  16. suit — to fit
  17. fall — to drop
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. bat — the animal
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. chair — a leader
  22. saw — the tool
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. fall — to drop

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