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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: sharp · chest · staff · last · jam · bear · rest · fall

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. bear — the animal
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. fall — to drop
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. rest — a break
  7. fall — to drop
  8. bear — the animal
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. chest — of your body
  12. staff — employees
  13. sharp — clever
  14. staff — a stick
  15. chest — a box
  16. chest — of your body
  17. last — finally
  18. last — to go on
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rest — what's left
  22. fall — the season
  23. last — final
  24. jam — a tight spot

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