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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: court · bear · firm · content · cabinet · pit · chair · wind

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bear — the animal
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. firm — a company
  8. court — of a king
  9. chair — a leader
  10. content — the amount
  11. firm — decided
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. court — for sport
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. wind — moving air
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. court — of law
  20. firm — steady
  21. pit — a hole
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. content — happy
  24. pit — in a race

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