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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: squash · file · stick · chair · bear · bat · band · jam

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. squash — to crush
  5. chair — a leader
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. file — a document
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. band — a music group
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. bat — the animal
  17. file — a tool
  18. bear — the animal
  19. band — a ring
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. file — a line of people
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. squash — the sport

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