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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: chair · mark · court · squash · cue · can · key · lean

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  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. lean — to bend
  2. key — for a lock
  3. court — of a king
  4. chair — a leader
  5. cue — a hint
  6. cue — for pool
  7. lean — thin
  8. cue — a signal
  9. mark — a grade
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. can — a tin
  12. mark — a trace
  13. key — the most important part
  14. court — for sport
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. can — a tin
  17. key — in music
  18. squash — to crush
  19. squash — the sport
  20. can — to be able to
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. mark — to pay attention
  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