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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 · coach · march · drill · pit · jam · staff · spring

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. pit — in a race
  3. spring — of water
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. staff — employees
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. staff — a stick
  9. pit — a hole
  10. staff — employees
  11. drill — a practice
  12. spring — the season
  13. spring — a coil
  14. march — music
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. drill — the tool
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. drill — army training
  19. chair — a leader
  20. march — the month
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. march — the month
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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