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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.

Make a worksheet

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: bass · tear · bear · game · fine · land · jam · chest

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. chest — of your body
  3. tear — to rip
  4. game — wild animals
  5. bear — the animal
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. land — a country
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. bass — low music
  12. bass — the fish
  13. tear — from crying
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. tear — from crying
  16. chest — a box
  17. fine — high quality
  18. bear — the animal
  19. game — a match
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. land — ground
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. fine — all right
  24. land — to come down

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