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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. chair — a leader
  3. perch — the fish
  4. court — for sport
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. club — a group
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. court — of a king
  13. bound — certain
  14. bound — tied together
  15. court — of law
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. club — for golf
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. bass — low music
  20. bound — obliged
  21. bass — the fish
  22. club — for dancing
  23. last — to go on
  24. last — 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