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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
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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: chair · row · pit · jam · key · pitcher · bulb · present

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. key — in music
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. row — to paddle
  10. present — the time now
  11. pit — a hole
  12. pit — in a race
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. chair — a leader
  16. bulb — for light
  17. row — a line
  18. key — the most important part
  19. present — a gift
  20. present — there
  21. key — for a lock
  22. bulb — for light
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. pitcher — a jug

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