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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. deal — to handle
  3. staff — employees
  4. date — the fruit
  5. court — for sport
  6. ball — a great time
  7. court — of law
  8. staff — employees
  9. roll — a list
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. cell — a phone
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. staff — a stick
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. roll — a cake
  18. chair — a leader
  19. cell — in biology
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. ball — a dance
  23. court — of a king
  24. ball — a round shape

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