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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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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: ruler · club · stand · bat · game · chair · pit · bear

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. stand — to bear
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. pit — in a race
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. club — for golf
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. bear — the animal
  13. club — a group
  14. chair — a leader
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. game — a match
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bat — the animal
  20. pit — a hole
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. game — wild animals
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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