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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. capital — a city
  3. mug — to rob
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. court — of law
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. roll — a list
  11. pit — in a race
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. court — for sport
  14. wax — to grow
  15. capital — money
  16. mug — a cup
  17. roll — a cake
  18. mug — a face
  19. toast — bread
  20. pit — a hole
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. court — of a king
  24. chair — a professorship

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