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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 · rash · can · pass · rest · present · saw

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. rest — a break
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. rest — what's left
  6. pass — a permit
  7. saw — the tool
  8. present — the time now
  9. rest — what's left
  10. present — a gift
  11. rash — a series
  12. swing — to play on
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. chest — a box
  16. can — a tin
  17. rash — hasty
  18. chest — of your body
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. swing — music
  21. can — to be able to
  22. chest — of your body
  23. present — there
  24. swing — in golf

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