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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. court — of law
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. chair — a leader
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. deal — to handle
  13. bulb — for light
  14. cell — in biology
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. bulb — for light
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. perch — the fish
  20. court — of a king
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. dip — to sink
  23. cell — a phone
  24. court — for sport

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