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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.

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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. firm — steady
  3. pit — a hole
  4. spring — of water
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. pit — in a race
  8. court — of law
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. chair — a leader
  15. court — for sport
  16. spring — a coil
  17. firm — decided
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. spring — the season
  20. court — of a king
  21. rule — a law
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. rule — government
  24. racket — a loud noise

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