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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: hide · chair · court · firm · racket · wind · mark · spring

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. court — of law
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. mark — a trace
  7. spring — the season
  8. firm — steady
  9. court — for sport
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. chair — a leader
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. mark — a grade
  17. firm — a company
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. spring — of water
  20. firm — decided
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. wind — moving air
  23. spring — a coil
  24. wind — moving air

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