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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. court — for sport
  3. court — of a king
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. board — a committee
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. scale — size or range
  11. lie — to recline
  12. board — to get on
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. fall — to drop
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. scale — in music
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. court — of law
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. fall — the season
  24. fall — to drop

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