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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: court · rest · stem · ground · bay · dip · chair · deal

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. ground — the earth
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. ground — crushed
  7. rest — what's left
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. chair — a leader
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. ground — a position
  13. court — of law
  14. deal — to handle
  15. rest — what's left
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. dip — to sink
  18. court — of a king
  19. stem — to come from
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. court — for sport
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. rest — a break
  24. deal — a big deal

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