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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. track — a song
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. mine — for digging
  6. court — of a king
  7. chair — a leader
  8. staff — a stick
  9. track — to keep track
  10. spring — of water
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. pound — a weight
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. staff — employees
  17. staff — employees
  18. track — a path
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. spring — a coil
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. court — for sport
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. spring — the season

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