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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
468
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: mine · mate · wound · squash · chair · court · stand · jam

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. mate — a friend
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. stand — to bear
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. wound — an injury
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. mine — for digging
  16. court — of a king
  17. court — for sport
  18. mate — to breed
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. squash — the sport
  21. chair — a leader
  22. squash — to crush
  23. wound — an injury
  24. court — of law

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