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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. court — for sport
  3. wind — moving air
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. mine — for digging
  6. bound — tied together
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. rest — a break
  9. bound — certain
  10. wind — moving air
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. bound — obliged
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rest — what's left
  16. chair — a leader
  17. court — of law
  18. court — of a king

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