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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: kick · jam · spell · chest · chip · game · bass · bear

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. game — a match
  4. chest — of your body
  5. game — wild animals
  6. spell — magic
  7. bear — the animal
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. spell — a short time
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. chip — for betting
  15. bass — the fish
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. chip — to eat
  18. bear — the animal
  19. chest — of your body
  20. bass — low music
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. spell — letters
  23. chest — a box
  24. game — a kind of play

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