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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. chair — a leader
  4. chest — of your body
  5. pop — music
  6. pop — to visit
  7. pop — soda
  8. court — of law
  9. chest — of your body
  10. current — electric
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. court — for sport
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. current — of water
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. staff — a stick
  17. current — happening now
  18. rash — hasty
  19. staff — employees
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. chest — a box
  22. staff — employees
  23. rash — a series
  24. rash — on the skin

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