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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: hide · board · court · rest · chair · fall · cap · pit

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. board — to get on
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fall — the season
  5. cap — of ice
  6. court — of a king
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. rest — what's left
  12. pit — in a race
  13. chair — a leader
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. rest — what's left
  17. court — for sport
  18. cap — a lid
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. fall — to drop
  21. pit — a hole
  22. court — of law
  23. cap — a hat
  24. board — a committee

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