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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 · wax · pass · rash · fine · pit · rest · straw

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. chest — a box
  4. chest — of your body
  5. rest — what's left
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. fine — all right
  8. wax — to grow
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. rash — hasty
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. rest — a break
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. pit — in a race
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. rest — what's left
  21. pass — a permit
  22. fine — high quality
  23. rash — a series
  24. pit — a hole

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