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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. bear — the animal
  4. ground — the earth
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. court — for sport
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. ground — a position
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. tube — a container
  11. board — a committee
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. bear — the animal
  14. ground — crushed
  15. key — the most important part
  16. board — to get on
  17. chair — a leader
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. court — of law
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. court — of a king
  23. key — for a lock
  24. key — in 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