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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 was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. chair — a leader
  3. court — of law
  4. pit — in a race
  5. key — for a lock
  6. pit — a hole
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. band — a ring
  11. court — of a king
  12. key — in music
  13. band — a music group
  14. key — the most important part
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. court — for sport
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. wind — moving air
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. trunk — of a car

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