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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.

Make a worksheet

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: land · dip · pitch · stick · chair · net · can · lean

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. lean — thin
  3. net — in sport
  4. land — a country
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. lean — to bend
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. pitch — completely
  10. can — a tin
  11. net — after costs
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. can — a tin
  16. net — for catching
  17. dip — to sink
  18. can — to be able to
  19. land — ground
  20. land — to come down
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. chair — a leader
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. lean — to rest against

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