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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. court — of a king
  3. pop — to visit
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. pop — music
  6. ground — crushed
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. wound — an injury
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. ground — a position
  12. swing — music
  13. pop — soda
  14. swing — to play on
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. court — of law
  17. swing — in golf
  18. object — a thing
  19. object — to protest
  20. chair — a leader
  21. object — an aim
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. ground — the earth
  24. court — for sport

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