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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. fork — in a road
  5. can — to be able to
  6. mine — for digging
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. can — a tin
  9. court — for sport
  10. tube — a container
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. tube — the underground
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. court — of law
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. court — of a king
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. snap — to click
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. can — a tin

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