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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. spring — of water
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. chip — to eat
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. spring — a coil
  8. pop — music
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. court — of law
  12. pop — soda
  13. craft — a skill
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. craft — boats
  16. pop — to visit
  17. court — of a king
  18. dip — to sink
  19. spring — the season
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. court — for sport
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. snap — to click
  24. chip — for betting

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