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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. court — of a king
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. swing — to play on
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. chip — to eat
  7. chair — a leader
  8. hand — help
  9. swing — in golf
  10. suit — in cards
  11. swing — music
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. mark — a grade
  15. hand — in cards
  16. mark — a trace
  17. ball — a dance
  18. court — of law
  19. court — for sport
  20. chip — for betting
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. suit — clothes
  23. suit — to fit
  24. ball — a great time

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