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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: bat · fall · chest · deal · firm · jam · bay · tube

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. chest — a box
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. firm — a company
  6. fall — the season
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. firm — decided
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. bat — the animal
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. tube — the underground
  15. fall — to drop
  16. chest — of your body
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. deal — to handle
  21. tube — a container
  22. chest — of your body
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. firm — steady

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