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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: dip · jam · wake · pit · plane · chest · hand · capital

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. capital — money
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. chest — of your body
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. pit — in a race
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. dip — to sink
  13. chest — of your body
  14. wake — a trail
  15. chest — a box
  16. hand — help
  17. capital — a city
  18. pit — a hole
  19. hand — in cards
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. plane — a tool
  24. jam — a tight spot

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