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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: bear · stick · club · staff · content · chair · pit · mate

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. bear — the animal
  3. club — a group
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. staff — employees
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. content — the amount
  9. staff — employees
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. staff — a stick
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. content — happy
  16. club — for dancing
  17. mate — to breed
  18. chair — a leader
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. pit — a hole
  21. mate — a friend
  22. bear — the animal
  23. club — for golf
  24. pit — in a race

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