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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: chair · fall · court · object · cap · jam · bass · club

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. cap — a hat
  3. fall — to drop
  4. object — a thing
  5. court — of law
  6. bass — low music
  7. court — for sport
  8. club — for dancing
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. cap — a lid
  11. club — for golf
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. fall — to drop
  14. cap — of ice
  15. bass — the fish
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. object — an aim
  18. fall — the season
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. club — a group
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. object — to protest
  24. court — of a king

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