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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
468
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: cold · sharp · snap · jam · foot · chair · fine · spring

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. snap — to click
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. cold — not warm
  12. spring — a coil
  13. fine — high quality
  14. fine — all right
  15. spring — of water
  16. cold — an illness
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. spring — the season
  21. chair — a leader
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. sharp — clever
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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