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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: stem · jam · mouse · chair · track · march · pitch · bound

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. track — to keep track
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. bound — tied together
  7. bound — obliged
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. march — music
  10. track — a song
  11. march — the month
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. march — the month
  18. track — a path
  19. pitch — completely
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. stem — to come from
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. bound — certain

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