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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 put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  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 — to sit on
  2. land — to come down
  3. swing — in golf
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. present — there
  6. present — the time now
  7. swing — to play on
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fall — the season
  10. swing — music
  11. court — for sport
  12. court — of a king
  13. fall — to drop
  14. land — ground
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. court — of law
  17. present — a gift
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. deal — to handle
  20. chair — a leader
  21. lie — to recline
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. land — a country
  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