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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. court — of a king
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. perch — the fish
  6. court — for sport
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. court — of law
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. sharp — clever

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