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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: court · suit · perch · foot · last · chair · press · safe

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. court — of law
  3. press — to push
  4. press — newspapers
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. press — a publisher
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. last — to go on
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. foot — a measure
  11. last — final
  12. perch — the fish
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. last — finally
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. suit — in cards
  18. suit — clothes
  19. court — of a king
  20. court — for sport
  21. suit — to fit
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. chair — a leader
  24. safe — a strongbox

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