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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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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: court · lie · stand · land · track · chair · squash · fan

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. chair — a leader
  3. court — for sport
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. track — a path
  7. track — a song
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. squash — to crush
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. land — to come down
  13. stand — to bear
  14. land — ground
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. track — to keep track
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. court — of a king
  20. court — of law
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. squash — the sport
  23. lie — to recline
  24. chair — a professorship

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