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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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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: bass · chair · lie · bat · lean · court · pound · bore

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. court — of a king
  3. bass — the fish
  4. chair — a leader
  5. court — of law
  6. lie — to recline
  7. pound — a weight
  8. court — for sport
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. lean — thin
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. bat — the animal
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. bass — low music
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. bore — to tire
  21. bore — to drill
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. lean — to bend
  24. chair — to sit on

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