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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: key · mouse · cap · pitcher · content · firm · pass · chair

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. firm — a company
  5. content — happy
  6. cap — a lid
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. firm — decided
  10. cap — a hat
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. firm — steady
  15. pass — a permit
  16. cap — of ice
  17. key — for a lock
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. content — the amount
  21. key — the most important part
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. key — in music
  24. mouse — the animal

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