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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. court — for sport
  3. chair — a leader
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. court — of law
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. cue — for pool
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. dip — to sink
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. cue — a signal
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. court — of a king
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. fine — all right
  18. prune — to trim
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. prune — to trim
  21. fine — high quality
  22. cue — a hint
  23. capital — a city
  24. capital — money

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