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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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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: fan · land · pitcher · court · hand · chest · stand · suit

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. chest — a box
  4. chest — of your body
  5. hand — help
  6. suit — in cards
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. land — ground
  10. land — a country
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. suit — clothes
  14. court — of a king
  15. stand — to bear
  16. suit — to fit
  17. land — to come down
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. chest — of your body
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. hand — in cards
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. court — for sport

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