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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: bore · net · staff · chair · court · cabinet · mine · roll

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. net — in sport
  3. staff — employees
  4. court — of a king
  5. net — for catching
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. roll — a list
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. court — for sport
  10. bore — to drill
  11. staff — employees
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. net — after costs
  17. roll — a cake
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. staff — a stick
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. bore — to tire
  24. court — of law

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