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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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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: tear · deal · chair · pit · current · race · court · cell

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. chair — a leader
  3. court — of a king
  4. tear — from crying
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. pit — in a race
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. court — of law
  9. tear — to rip
  10. pit — a hole
  11. court — for sport
  12. race — humankind
  13. deal — to handle
  14. cell — a phone
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. race — a contest
  17. cell — in biology
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. current — of water
  20. current — electric
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. tear — from crying
  23. race — the arms race
  24. current — happening now

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