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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: bat · sharp · mine · chair · band · stand · ball · can

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. can — to be able to
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. ball — a great time
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. bat — the animal
  10. sharp — clever
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. mine — for digging
  13. band — a ring
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. can — a tin
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. can — a tin
  19. ball — a dance
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. stand — to bear
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. band — a music group
  24. chair — a professorship

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