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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: mine · cue · ball · fine · hand · jam · net · chest

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. chest — a box
  3. chest — of your body
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. fine — high quality
  6. net — for catching
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. hand — in cards
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. ball — a great time
  12. fine — all right
  13. cue — a hint
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. hand — help
  16. chest — of your body
  17. mine — for digging
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. net — after costs
  20. cue — for pool
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. ball — a dance
  24. net — in sport

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