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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: track · chair · rest · jam · net · mine · hand · suit

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. net — in sport
  4. suit — to fit
  5. hand — in cards
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. track — a song
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. rest — a break
  12. track — to keep track
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. chair — a leader
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. suit — clothes
  17. net — after costs
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. net — for catching
  20. suit — in cards
  21. hand — help
  22. track — a path
  23. rest — what's left
  24. mine — for digging

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