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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. mine — for digging
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. root — the cause
  8. court — of a king
  9. chair — a leader
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. root — of a word
  13. ball — a dance
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. root — of a plant
  18. court — of law
  19. court — for sport
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. ball — a great time
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. temple — a place of worship

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