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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: rock · firm · ball · clip · bay · pitch · chair · jam

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. pitch — completely
  4. ball — a dance
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. firm — decided
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. ball — a great time
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. clip — for paper
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. rock — a stone
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. firm — a company
  20. chair — a leader
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. clip — a video
  23. clip — to cut
  24. rock — music

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