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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 120 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: key · rock · nail · stand · pound · mate · chair · court

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. mate — a partner
  3. court — of a king
  4. key — the most important part
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. rock — a stone
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. mate — a friend
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. stand — to bear
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. court — of law
  14. pound — a weight
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. mate — to breed
  18. court — for sport
  19. rock — music
  20. key — for a lock
  21. key — in music
  22. chair — a leader
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. nail — on a finger

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