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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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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: mine · mark · chest · jam · wave · pit · cell · hide

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. mark — a grade
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. mark — a trace
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. pit — in a race
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. pit — a hole
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. chest — a box
  15. chest — of your body
  16. mine — for digging
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. cell — in biology
  19. cell — a phone
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. chest — of your body
  24. hide — to keep secret

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