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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. ball — a great time
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. ball — a dance
  8. race — humankind
  9. court — for sport
  10. hand — in cards
  11. court — of law
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. race — a contest
  17. race — the arms race
  18. court — of a king
  19. hand — help
  20. rock — music
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. chair — a leader
  24. lash — an eyelash

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