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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.

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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. bound — obliged
  3. bound — tied together
  4. chair — a leader
  5. court — of a king
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. prune — to trim
  8. row — to paddle
  9. chest — of your body
  10. bound — certain
  11. court — of law
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. mug — a face
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. chest — of your body
  16. row — a line
  17. mug — to rob
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. mug — a cup
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. prune — to trim
  22. court — for sport
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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