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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: toast · chair · stem · court · fall · arm · pitcher · fine

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. court — of law
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. stem — to come from
  6. fall — the season
  7. toast — bread
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. fine — all right
  10. fine — high quality
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. fall — to drop
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. chair — a leader
  17. court — of a king
  18. fall — to drop
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. toast — the most admired

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