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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. kid — child
  3. mug — to rob
  4. present — the time now
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. present — a gift
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. chair — a leader
  9. race — humankind
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. kid — to tease
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. present — there
  15. court — of a king
  16. rock — a stone
  17. rock — music
  18. race — the arms race
  19. mug — a cup
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. court — for sport
  22. court — of law
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. race — a contest

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