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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. court — of a king
  4. staff — a stick
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. bear — the animal
  7. scale — size or range
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. court — of law
  10. firm — decided
  11. cap — a lid
  12. cap — of ice
  13. staff — employees
  14. court — for sport
  15. staff — employees
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. cap — a hat
  18. scale — in music
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. bear — the animal
  21. firm — a company
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. chair — a leader
  24. chair — to sit on

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