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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. spring — a coil
  3. swing — in golf
  4. spring — the season
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. spring — of water
  9. court — for sport
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. court — of a king
  12. chair — a leader
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. cap — a hat
  16. swing — to play on
  17. cap — a lid
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. roll — a list
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. cap — of ice
  22. swing — music
  23. court — of law
  24. roll — a cake

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