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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. chair — a leader
  3. bass — low music
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. fine — high quality
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. court — of a king
  9. court — of law
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. chest — a box
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. chest — of your body
  15. bass — the fish
  16. stand — to bear
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. wax — to grow
  19. court — for sport
  20. fine — all right
  21. chest — of your body
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. fine — a penalty

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