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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: pound · court · perch · temple · stand · ruler · race · chair

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. pound — a weight
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. court — for sport
  9. stand — to bear
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. race — humankind
  14. race — the arms race
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. court — of a king
  17. race — a contest
  18. perch — the fish
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. court — of law
  24. ruler — for measuring

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