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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: last · chest · net · land · jam · spring · charge · rest

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. charge — electricity
  3. chest — of your body
  4. net — in sport
  5. net — for catching
  6. last — finally
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. land — ground
  9. last — to go on
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. spring — the season
  12. charge — in control
  13. charge — a price
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. land — a country
  16. spring — a coil
  17. last — final
  18. spring — of water
  19. net — after costs
  20. land — to come down
  21. chest — of your body
  22. rest — a break
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rest — what's left

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