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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: file · pitch · kick · foot · pop · jam · chair · rest

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. pitch — completely
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. chair — a leader
  5. rest — a break
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. rest — what's left
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. pop — music
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. kick — in football
  14. pop — to visit
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. file — a document
  17. pop — soda
  18. foot — a measure
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. rest — what's left
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. file — a line of people
  23. file — a tool
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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