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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: craft · rush · chest · wake · file · hide · toast · jam

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. wake — a trail
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. chest — of your body
  7. craft — boats
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. file — a document
  11. craft — a skill
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. file — a tool
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. chest — a box
  17. file — a line of people
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. rush — hurry
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  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