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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: chest · jam · mark · chair · spell · pitch · can · hand

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. can — a tin
  4. spell — a short time
  5. can — to be able to
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. hand — in cards
  11. spell — letters
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. can — a tin
  14. chair — a leader
  15. mark — a trace
  16. spell — magic
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. pitch — completely
  19. chest — of your body
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chest — a box
  23. mark — a grade
  24. hand — help

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