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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. bass — the fish
  3. land — a country
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. bass — low music
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. land — ground
  10. chair — a leader
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. land — to come down
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. court — of law
  15. prune — to trim
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. stem — to come from
  18. prune — to trim
  19. court — for sport
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. court — of a king

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