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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: bear · tear · ball · firm · nail · squash · court · chair

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. firm — steady
  3. court — of law
  4. chair — a leader
  5. ball — a great time
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. bear — the animal
  8. court — of a king
  9. ball — a dance
  10. squash — the sport
  11. firm — a company
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. tear — from crying
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. court — for sport
  16. firm — decided
  17. tear — from crying
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. tear — to rip
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. squash — to crush

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