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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. rock — music
  3. ball — a great time
  4. key — the most important part
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. court — of law
  7. pass — a permit
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. key — for a lock
  10. rock — a stone
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. court — of a king
  15. ball — a dance
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. row — a line
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. court — for sport
  21. key — in music
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. chair — a leader

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