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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: jam · chair · stick · rule · squash · land · net · rush

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. land — to come down
  4. net — for catching
  5. land — a country
  6. net — after costs
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. squash — the sport
  10. rule — government
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. rule — a law
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. net — in sport
  20. squash — to crush
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. chair — a leader
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. rush — hurry

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