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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. saw — the tool
  3. bound — certain
  4. bound — obliged
  5. chair — a leader
  6. club — a group
  7. court — of a king
  8. mug — a cup
  9. court — for sport
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. court — of law
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. stock — goods
  14. mug — to rob
  15. saw — the tool
  16. ball — a great time
  17. mug — a face
  18. club — for dancing
  19. club — for golf
  20. ball — a dance
  21. stock — shares
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. bound — tied together
  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