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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 · stick · roll · jam · chair · bound · foot

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. bound — obliged
  11. club — for dancing
  12. kick — in football
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. chair — a leader
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. bound — tied together
  17. club — for golf
  18. roll — a list
  19. bound — certain
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. club — a group
  23. roll — a cake
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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