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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: rock · chair · court · mark · ball · kid · chest · bat

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. bat — the animal
  3. rock — a stone
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. court — of a king
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. kid — to tease
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. court — for sport
  13. kid — child
  14. chest — of your body
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. chair — a leader
  17. mark — a grade
  18. court — of law
  19. ball — a dance
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. ball — a great time
  22. chest — of your body
  23. rock — music
  24. mark — a trace

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