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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: mine · row · cap · band · sharp · firm · jam · chair

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. band — a music group
  5. cap — of ice
  6. chair — a leader
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. mine — for digging
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. cap — a hat
  13. firm — a company
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. firm — steady
  16. firm — decided
  17. band — a ring
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. row — a line
  20. row — to paddle
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. cap — a lid
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. sharp — clever

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