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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: key · plane · tear · court · drill · chair · roll · stand

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. key — in music
  4. court — of a king
  5. chair — a leader
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. roll — a list
  8. key — the most important part
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. stand — to bear
  12. roll — a cake
  13. drill — army training
  14. drill — a practice
  15. tear — from crying
  16. key — for a lock
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. tear — to rip
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. tear — from crying
  21. court — of law
  22. court — for sport
  23. drill — the tool
  24. stand — on your feet

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