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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: chair · can · stand · court · firm · craft · tube · march

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. court — for sport
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. march — the month
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. chair — a leader
  7. firm — decided
  8. court — of a king
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. firm — steady
  11. can — to be able to
  12. tube — the underground
  13. craft — a skill
  14. march — the month
  15. can — a tin
  16. firm — a company
  17. march — music
  18. can — a tin
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. court — of law
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. tube — a container
  24. stand — to bear

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