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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mouse · spell · suit · chair · court · cold · bowl · field

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. suit — clothes
  3. spell — magic
  4. chair — a leader
  5. field — for sport
  6. court — of a king
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. field — farmland
  14. spell — a short time
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. suit — in cards
  17. cold — an illness
  18. court — of law
  19. cold — not warm
  20. suit — to fit
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. field — a subject
  23. court — for sport
  24. spell — letters

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