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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. court — of a king
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. swing — music
  5. pound — a weight
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. lie — to recline
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. dip — to sink
  10. mate — to breed
  11. mate — a friend
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. swing — to play on
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. mate — a partner
  17. swing — in golf
  18. bound — obliged
  19. chair — a leader
  20. court — of law
  21. bound — certain
  22. bound — tied together
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. chair — to sit on

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