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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: chest · season · squash · lean · key · snap · jam · foot

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. lean — thin
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. chest — of your body
  6. lean — to bend
  7. chest — of your body
  8. snap — to click
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. squash — to crush
  11. squash — the sport
  12. foot — a measure
  13. season — in sport
  14. chest — a box
  15. key — in music
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. key — for a lock
  18. key — the most important part
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. season — of the year
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. squash — the vegetable

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