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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. rock — a stone
  3. wind — moving air
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. capital — a city
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. court — of law
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. capital — money
  15. court — for sport
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. rush — hurry
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. wind — moving air
  20. court — of a king
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. stem — to come from
  24. rock — music

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