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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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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: pit · stick · chair · roll · court · fork · firm · arm

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. firm — decided
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. roll — a list
  5. firm — a company
  6. roll — a cake
  7. firm — steady
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. pit — a hole
  12. court — of law
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. fork — in a road
  21. court — for sport
  22. court — of a king
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. chair — a leader

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