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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. rush — hurry
  3. spell — magic
  4. court — of law
  5. court — for sport
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. pass — a permit
  8. clip — a video
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. rock — a stone
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. spell — a short time
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. rock — music
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. clip — to cut
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. clip — for paper
  21. court — of a king
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. spell — letters
  24. rock — to move gently

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