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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: nail · stand · court · season · roll · bear · chest · lie

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. roll — a list
  3. court — of a king
  4. season — in sport
  5. roll — a cake
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. lie — to recline
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. chest — of your body
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. chest — of your body
  13. court — of law
  14. chest — a box
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. bear — the animal
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. stand — to bear
  20. season — of the year
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. stand — on your feet

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