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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. chair — a leader
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. court — for sport
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. dip — to sink
  8. mate — to breed
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. spell — magic
  13. court — of law
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. mine — for digging
  16. race — the arms race
  17. race — a contest
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. spell — a short time
  20. spell — letters
  21. mate — a partner
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. mate — a friend
  24. race — humankind

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