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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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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: kid · roll · hide · court · wax · ruler · press · chair

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  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. ruler — a monarch
  2. court — of law
  3. press — a publisher
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. wax — to grow
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. press — to push
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. court — of a king
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. press — newspapers
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. roll — a list
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. court — for sport
  16. roll — a cake
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. kid — to tease
  20. kid — child
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. hide — to keep secret
  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