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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: arm · chest · court · cabinet · wax · jam · roll · pitch

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. wax — to grow
  3. chest — of your body
  4. chest — of your body
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. court — for sport
  8. pitch — completely
  9. roll — a list
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. court — of law
  15. roll — a cake
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. court — of a king
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. chest — a box

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