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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. scale — size or range
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. pop — to visit
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. pop — soda
  9. court — for sport
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. mine — for digging
  12. court — of law
  13. firm — a company
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. firm — steady
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. scale — in music
  19. chair — a leader
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. pop — music
  22. court — of a king
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. mine — belonging to me

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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