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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.

Make a worksheet

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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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: toast · chair · mark · present · mine · object · key · court

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. chair — a leader
  3. court — for sport
  4. present — the time now
  5. object — an aim
  6. court — of a king
  7. toast — bread
  8. key — for a lock
  9. court — of law
  10. object — to protest
  11. key — in music
  12. object — a thing
  13. present — there
  14. present — a gift
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. key — the most important part
  17. mark — a trace
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. mark — a grade
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. mine — for digging

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