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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: kick · club · plane · jam · track · chair · sharp · land

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. track — a song
  3. club — for dancing
  4. track — a path
  5. club — a group
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. track — to keep track
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. land — a country
  13. land — ground
  14. land — to come down
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. chair — a leader
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. sharp — clever
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. plane — a tool
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. club — for golf
  24. kick — in football

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