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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: cue · court · plane · jam · content · chest · sharp · hide

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. cue — a signal
  7. plane — a tool
  8. chest — a box
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. chest — of your body
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. sharp — clever
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. court — of law
  16. content — happy
  17. court — for sport
  18. cue — a hint
  19. content — the amount
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. cue — for pool
  22. court — of a king
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. sharp — with an edge

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