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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: cold · chair · stick · net · bay · suit · fine · spell

  1. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. net — for catching
  3. spell — letters
  4. suit — in cards
  5. chair — a leader
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. cold — an illness
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. fine — all right
  13. spell — magic
  14. fine — high quality
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. cold — not warm
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. net — in sport
  20. spell — a short time
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. suit — to fit
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. net — after costs

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