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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: suit · rest · straw · roll · jam · rash · chest · last

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. suit — in cards
  3. last — finally
  4. roll — a list
  5. roll — a cake
  6. rash — a series
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. rest — what's left
  9. suit — to fit
  10. rest — what's left
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. last — to go on
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. last — final
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. chest — of your body
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. rash — hasty
  20. chest — of your body
  21. rest — a break
  22. chest — a box
  23. suit — clothes
  24. straw — a straw man

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