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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: hide · key · wake · jam · chest · bat · fall · firm

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  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. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. chest — a box
  3. fall — to drop
  4. wake — a trail
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. key — in music
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. firm — a company
  9. chest — of your body
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. chest — of your body
  13. key — the most important part
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. fall — the season
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. bat — the animal
  18. fall — to drop
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. firm — decided
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. key — for a lock
  23. hide — animal skin
  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