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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. court — for sport
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. pitch — completely
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. stock — shares
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. stock — goods
  19. fall — to drop
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. fall — the season
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. court — of law
  24. court — of a king

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