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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: chest · straw · toast · ground · sharp · net · jam · ball

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. chest — of your body
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. sharp — clever
  6. net — for catching
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. ground — crushed
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. chest — a box
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. ball — a great time
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. net — after costs
  16. chest — of your body
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. ball — a dance
  20. net — in sport
  21. ground — the earth
  22. toast — bread
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. ground — a position

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