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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: chair · land · rock · date · key · pop · cabinet · tube

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. tube — a container
  6. tube — the underground
  7. key — for a lock
  8. chair — a leader
  9. land — to come down
  10. key — in music
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. pop — music
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. land — ground
  16. pop — to visit
  17. rock — a stone
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. date — the fruit
  21. key — the most important part
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. rock — music
  24. land — a country

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