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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: pitcher · jam · content · spell · club · chair · stick · field

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. chair — a leader
  4. field — a subject
  5. club — for golf
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. field — for sport
  8. content — the amount
  9. spell — magic
  10. spell — a short time
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. field — farmland
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. content — happy
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. club — for dancing
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. spell — letters

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