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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 116 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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. 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. bowl — a football final
  2. chair — a leader
  3. court — of a king
  4. prune — to trim
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. stand — to bear
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. prune — to trim
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. bat — the animal
  15. court — for sport
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. 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