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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: spring · pass · can · chair · pitch · cap · stick · staff

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. chair — a leader
  3. pitch — completely
  4. spring — a coil
  5. can — a tin
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. can — to be able to
  8. staff — employees
  9. can — a tin
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. spring — of water
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. cap — a hat
  16. staff — employees
  17. staff — a stick
  18. spring — the season
  19. cap — of ice
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. pass — a permit
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. cap — a lid

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