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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: lash · jam · club · scale · stick · chair · clip · toast

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. toast — bread
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. scale — size or range
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. clip — to cut
  11. club — for dancing
  12. clip — a video
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. clip — for paper
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. scale — in music
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. club — a group
  24. club — for golf

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