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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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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 · mate · bore · staff · rock · stick · court · mine

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. chair — a leader
  3. rock — music
  4. bore — to drill
  5. court — of a king
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. mate — a friend
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. mine — for digging
  13. staff — a stick
  14. rock — a stone
  15. staff — employees
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. mate — a partner
  20. mate — to breed
  21. staff — employees
  22. bore — to tire
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. court — for sport

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