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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. pound — a weight
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. court — of law
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. face — part of the head
  7. chip — to eat
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. chip — for betting
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. sharp — clever
  13. court — for sport
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. chair — a leader
  17. face — to confront
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. pass — a permit
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. face — to point toward
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. court — of a king

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