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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bark · court · stand · mug · foot · chair · wound · pass

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. wound — an injury
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. wound — an injury
  6. court — of a king
  7. bark — to shout
  8. mug — to rob
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. pass — a permit
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. chair — a leader
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. foot — a measure
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. stand — to bear
  17. mug — a face
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. mug — a cup
  20. court — for sport
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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