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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.

Make a worksheet

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
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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: bore · board · cap · object · court · jam · chair · clip

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. court — of a king
  5. cap — a hat
  6. clip — to cut
  7. object — an aim
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. court — of law
  11. object — to protest
  12. cap — a lid
  13. chair — a leader
  14. board — to get on
  15. bore — to drill
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. clip — for paper
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. object — a thing
  20. cap — of ice
  21. board — a committee
  22. court — for sport
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. clip — a video

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