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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · stem · present · sharp · arm · jam · chair · pitcher

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. present — the time now
  3. chair — a leader
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. sharp — clever
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. present — there
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. stem — to come from
  19. bat — the animal
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. pitcher — a jug

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