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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.

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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. row — to paddle
  4. court — of a king
  5. row — a line
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. prune — to trim
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. chair — a leader
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. prune — to trim
  16. pop — music
  17. pop — to visit
  18. court — of law
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. pop — soda
  21. court — for sport
  22. saw — the tool
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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