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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 116 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: kick · bat · bowl · object · mouse · suit · chair · net

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. object — to protest
  3. suit — to fit
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. net — after costs
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. object — an aim
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. kick — in football
  10. object — a thing
  11. bat — the animal
  12. suit — in cards
  13. chair — a leader
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. suit — clothes
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. net — in sport
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. net — for catching
  24. bowl — a football final

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