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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. court — of a king
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. firm — decided
  5. chair — a leader
  6. bark — to shout
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. press — newspapers
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. stock — goods
  12. drill — army training
  13. drill — the tool
  14. press — to push
  15. press — a publisher
  16. drill — a practice
  17. firm — steady
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. firm — a company
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. stock — shares
  23. court — for sport
  24. court — of law

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