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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. vault — a safe
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. season — in sport
  9. hand — in cards
  10. season — of the year
  11. spell — a short time
  12. foot — a measure
  13. spell — letters
  14. court — for sport
  15. court — of a king
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. spell — magic
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. hand — help
  20. chair — a leader
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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