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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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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: chest · rule · wake · jam · cabinet · cold · stick · tube

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  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. rule — to rule out
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. wake — a trail
  4. rule — a law
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. chest — a box
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. cold — not warm
  10. cold — an illness
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. tube — a container
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. tube — the underground
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. chest — of your body
  18. rule — government
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. cabinet — ministers
  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