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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 · coach · clip · roll · sharp · dip · fine · jam

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. fine — all right
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. dip — to sink
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. clip — a video
  10. roll — a cake
  11. clip — to cut
  12. chest — of your body
  13. chest — a box
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. sharp — clever
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. roll — a list
  19. clip — for paper
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. chest — of your body
  23. fine — high quality
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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