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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.

Make a worksheet

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: arm · chair · mine · pop · object · racket · staff · drill

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. object — an aim
  3. pop — music
  4. drill — the tool
  5. staff — employees
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. staff — employees
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. drill — a practice
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. object — to protest
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. pop — soda
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. pop — to visit
  21. object — a thing
  22. staff — a stick
  23. drill — army training
  24. mine — for digging

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