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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: chair · sharp · jam · pit · spring · cue · clip · chest

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. chest — of your body
  3. chest — a box
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. pit — a hole
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. cue — for pool
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. clip — for paper
  12. spring — the season
  13. chest — of your body
  14. cue — a signal
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. cue — a hint
  17. clip — a video
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. spring — of water
  20. sharp — clever
  21. clip — to cut
  22. spring — a coil
  23. chair — a leader
  24. pit — in a race

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