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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 116 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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. key — in music
  4. mine — for digging
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. key — for a lock
  8. court — for sport
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. pit — in a race
  11. rock — a stone
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. pit — a hole
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. court — of law
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. key — the most important part
  20. chair — a leader
  21. wake — a trail
  22. court — of a king
  23. rock — music
  24. wake — before a funeral

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