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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mark — a trace
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. court — for sport
  6. pound — a weight
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. pit — in a race
  9. chair — a leader
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. pit — a hole
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. court — of law
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. staff — employees
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. staff — a stick
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. staff — employees
  22. mark — a grade
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. court — of a king

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