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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: object · mug · court · drill · lean · pound · chair · stand

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. court — for sport
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. stand — to bear
  5. court — of a king
  6. lean — thin
  7. object — to protest
  8. object — a thing
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. drill — a practice
  11. mug — a face
  12. chair — a leader
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. drill — the tool
  17. object — an aim
  18. lean — to bend
  19. pound — a weight
  20. court — of law
  21. drill — army training
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. mug — to rob
  24. mug — a cup

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