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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: hand · jam · chest · fine · chair · suit · pound · game

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. suit — to fit
  3. fine — high quality
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. game — a match
  6. chest — of your body
  7. fine — all right
  8. chest — a box
  9. hand — in cards
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. game — wild animals
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. chair — a leader
  18. pound — a weight
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. suit — in cards
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. suit — clothes
  23. hand — help
  24. pound — to hit hard

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