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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. cell — a phone
  4. fine — all right
  5. row — a line
  6. cell — in biology
  7. court — for sport
  8. court — of law
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. chair — a leader
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. row — to paddle
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. net — for catching
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. net — in sport
  19. fine — high quality
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. court — of a king
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. net — after costs

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