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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: chair · clip · ball · mug · plane · racket · court · toast

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. mug — a face
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. court — for sport
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. ball — a great time
  8. ball — a dance
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. clip — for paper
  11. mug — a cup
  12. clip — to cut
  13. court — of law
  14. court — of a king
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. chair — a leader
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. toast — bread
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. mug — to rob
  21. plane — a tool
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. clip — a video

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