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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. craft — boats
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. firm — decided
  7. spring — of water
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. firm — steady
  10. charge — a price
  11. saw — the tool
  12. craft — a skill
  13. saw — the tool
  14. spring — a coil
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. charge — electricity
  18. chair — a leader
  19. charge — in control
  20. court — of law
  21. court — of a king
  22. date — the fruit
  23. court — for sport
  24. spring — the season

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