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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  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. straw — dry grass
  2. rash — hasty
  3. court — of a king
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. board — a committee
  6. board — to get on
  7. key — in music
  8. key — the most important part
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. key — for a lock
  12. chair — a leader
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. hand — help
  15. court — for sport
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. rash — a series
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. hand — in cards
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. chair — to sit on
  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