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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.

Make a worksheet

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: perch · chip · chair · lie · mug · land · court · mine

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. court — of a king
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. land — to come down
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. chair — a leader
  9. mug — a cup
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. perch — the fish
  12. chip — for betting
  13. land — ground
  14. court — for sport
  15. land — a country
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. mug — a face
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. lie — to recline
  21. mine — for digging
  22. mug — to rob
  23. chip — to eat
  24. court — of law

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