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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: wake · dip · chip · saw · jam · last · rash · chest

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. chest — a box
  6. last — to go on
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. saw — the tool
  10. dip — to sink
  11. rash — a series
  12. last — finally
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. saw — the tool
  15. chest — of your body
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. wake — a trail
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. last — final
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. chip — for betting
  23. chip — to eat
  24. chest — of your body

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