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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
468
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: jam · chest · mate · fan · firm · wake · mine · mouse

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. mate — a partner
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. chest — of your body
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. mate — to breed
  9. chest — a box
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. mine — for digging
  12. chest — of your body
  13. mate — a friend
  14. firm — decided
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. wake — a trail
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. firm — a company
  23. firm — steady
  24. mouse — the animal

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