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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: ball · court · rash · lean · leaves · chair · suit · mine

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. rash — a series
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. rash — hasty
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. suit — in cards
  9. court — of law
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. suit — clothes
  12. court — for sport
  13. lean — thin
  14. chair — a leader
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. ball — a dance
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. ball — a great time
  19. suit — to fit
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. lean — to bend
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. court — of a king
  24. mine — an explosive

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