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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 120 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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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: snap · stick · content · chair · rush · present · pit · band

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. rush — hurry
  5. content — happy
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. pit — in a race
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. snap — to click
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. band — a music group
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. present — a gift
  17. present — there
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. band — a ring
  20. present — the time now
  21. pit — a hole
  22. content — the amount
  23. chair — a leader
  24. content — videos and posts

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