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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: file · wake · rush · bass · fork · jam · cue · chest

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. file — a line of people
  3. file — a tool
  4. cue — a hint
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. cue — for pool
  7. cue — a signal
  8. bass — the fish
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. bass — low music
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. fork — in a road
  14. chest — a box
  15. wake — a trail
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. rush — hurry
  21. file — a document
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. chest — of your body
  24. jam — in traffic

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