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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: mug · squash · chest · kid · band · jam · charge · cue

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. chest — of your body
  3. chest — of your body
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. kid — to tease
  6. squash — the sport
  7. squash — to crush
  8. charge — electricity
  9. mug — to rob
  10. band — a music group
  11. cue — a hint
  12. chest — a box
  13. cue — a signal
  14. band — a ring
  15. cue — for pool
  16. kid — child
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. mug — a cup
  21. mug — a face
  22. charge — a price
  23. charge — in control
  24. squash — the vegetable

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