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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. court — of a king
  4. track — to keep track
  5. chest — of your body
  6. chest — of your body
  7. court — of law
  8. court — for sport
  9. net — after costs
  10. chair — a leader
  11. track — a song
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. toast — bread
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. board — to get on
  16. board — a committee
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. net — for catching
  21. track — a path
  22. stand — to bear
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. chest — a box

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