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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. charge — in control
  5. court — of a king
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. dip — to sink
  8. charge — a price
  9. pitch — completely
  10. court — of law
  11. chair — a leader
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. charge — electricity
  14. hand — help
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. wound — an injury
  17. hand — in cards
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. wound — an injury
  21. court — for sport
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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