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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. mine — for digging
  3. swing — to play on
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. chair — a leader
  6. court — of a king
  7. pass — a permit
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. rock — a stone
  10. rock — music
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. mate — a friend
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. mate — to breed
  16. foot — a measure
  17. mate — a partner
  18. court — of law
  19. court — for sport
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. swing — music
  24. swing — in golf

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