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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 120 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 don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. object — a thing
  3. court — for sport
  4. court — of a king
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. lean — to bend
  9. court — of law
  10. band — a ring
  11. club — a group
  12. club — for dancing
  13. clip — for paper
  14. clip — to cut
  15. band — a music group
  16. lean — thin
  17. object — to protest
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. clip — a video
  20. chair — a leader
  21. club — for golf
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. object — an aim
  24. mouse — for a computer

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