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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: club · key · chair · jam · land · face · game · pass

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. club — a group
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. key — for a lock
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. land — to come down
  10. pass — a permit
  11. game — wild animals
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. club — for dancing
  15. game — a match
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. land — ground
  18. club — for golf
  19. key — the most important part
  20. face — to confront
  21. face — part of the head
  22. key — in music
  23. face — to point toward
  24. land — a country

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