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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: pass · chair · content · key · face · fork · bay · court

  1. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. content — happy
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. face — to confront
  6. chair — a leader
  7. face — to point toward
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. key — the most important part
  11. court — of a king
  12. key — in music
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. pass — a permit
  15. face — part of the head
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. court — of law
  20. content — the amount
  21. key — for a lock
  22. fork — in a road
  23. court — for sport
  24. chair — to sit on

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