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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.

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: kid · key · ground · trunk · jam · chair · ball · band

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. ground — crushed
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. band — a ring
  8. ball — a great time
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. key — the most important part
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. key — in music
  13. key — for a lock
  14. kid — child
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. band — a music group
  18. ball — a dance
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. ground — the earth
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. ground — a position
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. kid — to tease

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