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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: snap · jam · bore · foot · chip · chest · clip · net

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. clip — to cut
  4. net — in sport
  5. bore — to drill
  6. net — after costs
  7. bore — to tire
  8. chest — a box
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. clip — for paper
  11. chip — to eat
  12. chip — for betting
  13. foot — a measure
  14. net — for catching
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. snap — to click
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. clip — a video
  22. chest — of your body
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. chest — of your body

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