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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: wake · file · current · chest · jam · pit · suit · cell

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. cell — a phone
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. current — electric
  5. wake — a trail
  6. file — a line of people
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. suit — to fit
  10. suit — clothes
  11. cell — in biology
  12. current — happening now
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. suit — in cards
  15. current — of water
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. file — a document
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chest — of your body
  21. file — a tool
  22. chest — a box
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. pit — in a race

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