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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: spell · chair · mouse · face · ground · jam · stand · chest

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. ground — a position
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. chair — a leader
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. chest — of your body
  10. face — part of the head
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. chest — of your body
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. chest — a box
  15. face — to confront
  16. spell — letters
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. spell — a short time
  19. stand — to bear
  20. ground — the earth
  21. face — to point toward
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. ground — crushed
  24. spell — magic

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