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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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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: board · club · chair · cue · cap · can · lie · court

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. chair — a leader
  3. can — a tin
  4. court — of law
  5. cue — a signal
  6. court — for sport
  7. cap — a hat
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. cap — of ice
  10. lie — to recline
  11. club — for golf
  12. club — a group
  13. club — for dancing
  14. board — a committee
  15. can — a tin
  16. can — to be able to
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. cap — a lid
  19. board — to get on
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. court — of a king
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. cue — a hint

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