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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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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. pit — a hole
  4. chair — a leader
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. cell — a phone
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. cell — in biology
  10. saw — the tool
  11. court — of law
  12. court — for sport
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. saw — the tool
  15. pit — in a race
  16. rule — government
  17. court — of a king
  18. rule — a law

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