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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.

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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: jam · key · rock · ground · mug · rush · bat · chest

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. chest — a box
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. rock — music
  6. mug — a face
  7. chest — of your body
  8. rock — a stone
  9. ground — a position
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. key — in music
  14. rush — hurry
  15. key — the most important part
  16. key — for a lock
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. mug — to rob
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. chest — of your body
  21. ground — crushed
  22. bat — the animal
  23. mug — a cup
  24. ground — the earth

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