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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. sharp — clever
  3. ball — a great time
  4. pop — music
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. squash — the sport
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. pop — to visit
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. ball — a dance
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. squash — to crush
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. lie — to recline
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. pop — soda
  24. lie — an untruth

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