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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. chair — a leader
  3. mug — to rob
  4. bass — low music
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. object — a thing
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. object — to protest
  9. court — of law
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. shower — rain
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. mug — a face
  15. object — an aim
  16. mug — a cup
  17. bass — the fish
  18. shower — to wash
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. court — for sport
  21. court — of a king
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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