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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. pound — a weight
  6. fine — high quality
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. court — for sport
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. fine — all right
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. court — of a king
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. content — happy
  21. court — of law
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. content — the amount
  24. chair — to sit on

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