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

Word bank: cap · chair · court · ruler · cold · bowl · board · staff

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. staff — a stick
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. staff — employees
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. court — for sport
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. cold — an illness
  11. staff — employees
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. court — of law
  14. cold — not warm
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. cap — a lid
  19. board — a committee
  20. cap — a hat
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. cap — of ice
  23. court — of a king
  24. chair — a leader

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