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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: jam · spring · chair · ball · bat · staff · pop · last

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. spring — a coil
  5. spring — the season
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. pop — to visit
  8. ball — a dance
  9. staff — employees
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. staff — a stick
  12. ball — a great time
  13. last — to go on
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. spring — of water
  16. chair — a leader
  17. staff — employees
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. last — finally
  20. bat — the animal
  21. last — final
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. pop — soda

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