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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: chair · toast · pitcher · root · pit · court · stand · prune

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. chair — a leader
  5. pit — a hole
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. toast — bread
  10. root — the cause
  11. prune — to trim
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. court — of a king
  14. court — for sport
  15. stand — to bear
  16. root — of a plant
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. prune — to trim
  19. court — of law
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. pit — in a race
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. root — of a word

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