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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. staff — employees
  3. staff — employees
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. board — to get on
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. court — for sport
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. plane — a tool
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. chair — a leader
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. court — of law
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. staff — a stick
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. board — a committee
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. wax — to grow
  23. court — of a king
  24. board — a flat piece

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