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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. court — of law
  3. cell — in biology
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. court — of a king
  10. mug — to rob
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. mug — a face
  13. present — the time now
  14. sharp — clever
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. cell — a phone
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. mark — a grade
  19. present — a gift
  20. mug — a cup
  21. present — there
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. court — for sport
  24. mark — a trace

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