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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: court · racket · deal · face · trunk · chair · present · rule

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. deal — to handle
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. face — to point toward
  5. rule — a law
  6. present — the time now
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. rule — government
  10. present — there
  11. chair — a leader
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. court — for sport
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. face — to confront
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. face — part of the head
  21. court — of law
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. present — a gift

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