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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · racket · suit · roll · object · content · jam · prune

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. object — to protest
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. suit — clothes
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. content — happy
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. content — the amount
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. roll — a list
  14. object — a thing
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. object — an aim
  17. prune — to trim
  18. suit — to fit
  19. chair — a leader
  20. prune — to trim
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. suit — in cards

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