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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. date — the fruit
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. kid — to tease
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. staff — a stick
  11. chair — a leader
  12. pitch — completely
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. vault — a safe
  18. wind — moving air
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. kid — child
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. staff — employees
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. wind — moving air

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