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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 don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. land — to come down
  3. scale — in music
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. root — the cause
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. land — ground
  8. court — for sport
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. court — of law
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. stock — shares
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. stock — goods
  17. court — of a king
  18. root — of a word
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. land — a country
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. root — of a plant
  23. chair — a leader
  24. scale — size or range

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