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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: chest · rest · snap · mug · bear · chair · game · pit

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. mug — a cup
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. bear — the animal
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. game — a match
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chest — of your body
  10. chair — a leader
  11. chest — a box
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. rest — what's left
  16. mug — a face
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. game — wild animals
  19. rest — a break
  20. pit — in a race
  21. snap — to click
  22. rest — what's left
  23. mug — to rob
  24. pit — a hole

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