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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 116 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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. chair — a leader
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. bound — obliged
  5. pass — a permit
  6. bound — certain
  7. bound — tied together
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. tear — from crying
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. court — of a king
  13. court — of law
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. root — of a plant
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. tear — from crying
  18. court — for sport
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. tear — to rip
  23. root — the cause
  24. root — of a word

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