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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 120 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: chair · net · court · rest · key · racket · stand · pit

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. stand — to bear
  3. key — the most important part
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. net — in sport
  7. pit — a hole
  8. key — for a lock
  9. rest — a break
  10. chair — a leader
  11. court — of a king
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. key — in music
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. court — for sport
  16. rest — what's left
  17. pit — in a race
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. court — of law
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. net — after costs
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. rest — what's left

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