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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
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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: chair · jam · stand · drill · tube · wind · ground · game

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. drill — a practice
  3. drill — the tool
  4. chair — a leader
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. game — a match
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. tube — the underground
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. ground — the earth
  16. game — wild animals
  17. wind — moving air
  18. tube — a container
  19. ground — a position
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. drill — army training
  22. ground — crushed
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. wind — moving air

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