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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: squash · net · plane · rash · chip · chest · jam · cold

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. plane — a tool
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. net — for catching
  7. chest — of your body
  8. squash — to crush
  9. chip — for betting
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. chip — to eat
  13. rash — hasty
  14. net — after costs
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. chest — a box
  17. net — in sport
  18. squash — the sport
  19. rash — a series
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. chest — of your body
  23. cold — not warm
  24. cold — an illness

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