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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: court · mug · snap · mine · chair · suit · field · mate

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. mate — to breed
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. chair — a leader
  6. court — for sport
  7. snap — to click
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. court — of a king
  10. suit — clothes
  11. mine — for digging
  12. field — farmland
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. mug — a face
  15. suit — in cards
  16. mug — a cup
  17. mug — to rob
  18. field — a subject
  19. mate — a friend
  20. suit — to fit
  21. field — for sport
  22. mate — a partner
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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