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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 116 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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. bat — the animal
  3. track — to keep track
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. row — to paddle
  8. vault — a safe
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. court — of law
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. track — a song
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. court — of a king
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. court — for sport
  21. row — a line
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. track — a path
  24. bat — for baseball

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