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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. pop — to visit
  3. chair — a leader
  4. land — ground
  5. lean — to bend
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. lean — thin
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. land — a country
  11. court — for sport
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. land — to come down
  17. bulb — for light
  18. pop — music
  19. court — of a king
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. pop — soda
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. bulb — for light
  24. deal — to handle

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