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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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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: kick · racket · cabinet · jam · cell · straw · chest · stick

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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. racket — a loud noise
  4. kick — in football
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. chest — of your body
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. cell — in biology
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. chest — a box
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. cell — a phone
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. cell — in a prison

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