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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: racket · fan · bear · jam · cue · chest · rule · roll

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. roll — a cake
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. rule — a law
  5. chest — of your body
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. chest — a box
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. cue — a signal
  12. bear — the animal
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. roll — a list
  17. chest — of your body
  18. cue — for pool
  19. rule — government
  20. bear — the animal
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. cue — a hint

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