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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. chair — a leader
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. squash — the sport
  5. game — wild animals
  6. track — a song
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. track — to keep track
  9. rock — a stone
  10. squash — to crush
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. track — a path
  13. mug — a cup
  14. mug — to rob
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. court — of a king
  17. mug — a face
  18. rock — music
  19. court — for sport
  20. court — of law
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. game — a match
  24. chair — to sit on

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