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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: band · chair · mate · key · object · court · jam · can

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. key — the most important part
  3. object — to protest
  4. court — for sport
  5. can — a tin
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. band — a ring
  8. court — of a king
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. mate — to breed
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. key — for a lock
  13. mate — a partner
  14. object — a thing
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. can — a tin
  17. object — an aim
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. court — of law
  20. band — a music group
  21. key — in music
  22. chair — a leader
  23. can — to be able to
  24. mate — a friend

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