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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: hide · chair · court · suit · bay · cell · pitcher · spring

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. spring — a coil
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. cell — a phone
  6. court — of a king
  7. suit — to fit
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. chair — a leader
  11. spring — the season
  12. suit — clothes
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. court — for sport
  15. spring — of water
  16. court — of law
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. cell — in biology
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. suit — in cards
  24. hide — animal skin

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