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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. track — a path
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. charge — electricity
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. track — a song
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. capital — a city
  10. charge — in control
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. swing — in golf
  13. swing — to play on
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. kid — to tease
  16. chair — a leader
  17. charge — a price
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. ball — a great time
  20. track — to keep track
  21. kid — child
  22. capital — money
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. swing — music

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