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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: chest · swing · file · last · game · rest · stand · jam

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. file — a document
  4. rest — a break
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. swing — in golf
  7. chest — of your body
  8. last — finally
  9. stand — to bear
  10. swing — to play on
  11. last — to go on
  12. file — a line of people
  13. chest — of your body
  14. rest — what's left
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. rest — what's left
  18. swing — music
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. chest — a box
  21. file — a tool
  22. last — final
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. game — a match

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