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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: stand · face · game · court · chair · bore · pit · present

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  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. court — for sport
  2. bore — to tire
  3. face — part of the head
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. present — there
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. game — a match
  10. court — of law
  11. present — the time now
  12. pit — in a race
  13. court — of a king
  14. face — to confront
  15. stand — to bear
  16. face — to point toward
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. pit — a hole
  20. chair — a leader
  21. bore — to drill
  22. game — wild animals
  23. present — a gift
  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