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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 116 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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. chair — a leader
  3. spell — a short time
  4. spell — letters
  5. cue — for pool
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. hand — help
  9. cue — a hint
  10. bear — the animal
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. last — finally
  13. last — final
  14. court — of law
  15. last — to go on
  16. bear — the animal
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. hand — in cards
  20. spell — magic
  21. cue — a signal
  22. court — of a king
  23. court — for sport
  24. pitch — a sports field

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