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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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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: racket · chair · jam · kid · tear · nail · chest · firm

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. chest — of your body
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. chest — a box
  6. chest — of your body
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. firm — a company
  9. kid — child
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. firm — steady
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. tear — from crying
  16. tear — to rip
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. chair — a leader
  19. kid — to tease
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. tear — from crying
  24. nail — on a finger

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