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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. spring — the season
  3. rest — what's left
  4. court — of a king
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. fork — in a road
  7. key — the most important part
  8. key — for a lock
  9. spring — a coil
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. hand — help
  12. chair — a leader
  13. court — of law
  14. key — in music
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. hand — in cards
  18. season — in sport
  19. season — of the year
  20. rest — a break
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. court — for sport
  23. rest — what's left
  24. spring — of water

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