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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 120 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: fall · rock · chest · mouse · wake · sharp · last · chip

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. wake — a trail
  3. last — to go on
  4. rock — a stone
  5. sharp — clever
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. chip — for betting
  8. fall — to drop
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. fall — the season
  11. rock — music
  12. chest — of your body
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. chest — a box
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. last — final
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. fall — to drop
  23. chip — to eat
  24. last — finally

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