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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. drill — the tool
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. court — of a king
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. mug — to rob
  8. capital — a city
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. mine — for digging
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. rush — hurry
  13. court — of law
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. court — for sport
  16. drill — army training
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. rock — a stone
  19. capital — money
  20. rock — music
  21. drill — a practice
  22. mug — a cup
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. chair — a leader

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