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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 120 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: rest · straw · bark · spell · pass · chest · pit · mouse

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. spell — a short time
  3. pit — a hole
  4. spell — letters
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. rest — a break
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. chest — a box
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. chest — of your body
  12. pit — in a race
  13. rest — what's left
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. spell — magic
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. rest — what's left
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. pass — a permit
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. bark — to shout
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. chest — of your body

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