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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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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: race · pop · chair · scale · key · jam · stick · firm

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. pop — to visit
  3. scale — size or range
  4. key — for a lock
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. race — the arms race
  8. firm — steady
  9. race — a contest
  10. scale — in music
  11. key — the most important part
  12. chair — a leader
  13. firm — a company
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. key — in music
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. race — humankind
  19. pop — soda
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. firm — decided
  24. pop — 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