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

Word bank: key · sharp · game · chair · content · coach · stand · firm

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  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. firm — a company
  2. game — a match
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. key — the most important part
  8. chair — a leader
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. stand — to bear
  11. key — in music
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. content — the amount
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. firm — steady
  17. key — for a lock
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. content — happy
  20. game — wild animals
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. firm — decided
  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