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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. mark — a grade
  3. court — of a king
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. squash — the sport
  6. bound — tied together
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. swing — to play on
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. chair — a leader
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. squash — to crush
  14. court — for sport
  15. bound — certain
  16. pop — soda
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. mark — a trace
  19. court — of law
  20. bound — obliged
  21. pop — to visit
  22. pop — music
  23. swing — music
  24. cabinet — ministers

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