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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
468
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: cap · mug · jam · chest · season · club · clip · chair

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. mug — a cup
  3. clip — a video
  4. club — for golf
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. mug — a face
  7. cap — of ice
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. chair — a leader
  10. club — for dancing
  11. chest — of your body
  12. cap — a hat
  13. cap — a lid
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. season — in sport
  17. clip — to cut
  18. mug — to rob
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. club — a group
  21. clip — for paper
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. chest — a box
  24. season — of the year

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