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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. ball — a great time
  5. ground — crushed
  6. ball — a dance
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. ground — the earth
  9. court — of a king
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. kid — to tease
  12. staff — employees
  13. ground — a position
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. last — to go on
  16. staff — a stick
  17. court — for sport
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. last — finally
  20. pound — a weight
  21. court — of law
  22. last — final
  23. kid — child
  24. staff — employees

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