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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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. bound — certain
  3. swing — in golf
  4. court — of a king
  5. swing — to play on
  6. can — a tin
  7. court — of law
  8. chair — a leader
  9. lie — to recline
  10. court — for sport
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. scale — in music
  13. can — to be able to
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. can — a tin
  16. bound — obliged
  17. bound — tied together
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. swing — music
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. scale — size or range
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. vault — a safe
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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