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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: lean · land · chest · rest · ball · jam · sharp · perch

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. chest — of your body
  3. lean — thin
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. perch — the fish
  6. ball — a great time
  7. rest — a break
  8. lean — to bend
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. land — to come down
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. sharp — clever
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. land — a country
  16. rest — what's left
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. chest — of your body
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. ball — a dance
  22. rest — what's left
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. land — ground

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