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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: chair · saw · spell · suit · court · swing · net · rush

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  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 professorship
  2. net — in sport
  3. net — after costs
  4. suit — clothes
  5. net — for catching
  6. court — of law
  7. spell — letters
  8. swing — in golf
  9. chair — a leader
  10. court — of a king
  11. swing — music
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. spell — a short time
  15. suit — in cards
  16. suit — to fit
  17. saw — the tool
  18. spell — magic
  19. rush — hurry
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. court — for sport
  23. swing — to play on
  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