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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. pop — to visit
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. mug — a cup
  5. chair — a leader
  6. court — of a king
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. wound — an injury
  9. court — for sport
  10. squash — to crush
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. bulb — for light
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. court — of law
  15. pop — music
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. squash — the sport
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. bulb — for light
  22. mug — to rob
  23. mug — a face
  24. wound — an injury

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