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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: sharp · mug · ball · lie · cold · chest · jam · bank

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. ball — a dance
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. bank — for money
  5. cold — an illness
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. bank — for money
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. mug — to rob
  10. cold — not warm
  11. ball — a great time
  12. mug — a cup
  13. lie — to recline
  14. chest — of your body
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. sharp — clever
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. bank — of a river
  19. chest — a box
  20. mug — a face
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. chest — of your body

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