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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: staff · jam · chair · current · tube · clip · pitch · lie

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. clip — to cut
  4. pitch — completely
  5. current — happening now
  6. staff — employees
  7. lie — to recline
  8. clip — a video
  9. staff — a stick
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. tube — a container
  15. current — of water
  16. staff — employees
  17. tube — the underground
  18. chair — a leader
  19. current — electric
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. clip — for paper
  24. chair — to sit on

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