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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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. court — for sport
  4. content — happy
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. chair — a leader
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. court — of law
  9. cap — a lid
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. cap — a hat
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. stand — to bear
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. court — of a king
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. content — the amount
  24. safe — out of danger

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