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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: lean · chair · court · press · cap · bark · cue · bound

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. bound — obliged
  3. lean — thin
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. cue — a signal
  6. press — a publisher
  7. bound — tied together
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. cue — for pool
  10. press — to push
  11. chair — a leader
  12. court — for sport
  13. cap — a lid
  14. cap — of ice
  15. court — of law
  16. cue — a hint
  17. bound — certain
  18. cap — a hat
  19. press — newspapers
  20. lean — to bend
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. court — of a king
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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