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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. last — finally
  3. last — final
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. pit — in a race
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rest — a break
  9. kick — in football
  10. chip — to eat
  11. squash — to crush
  12. squash — the sport
  13. chair — a leader
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. chip — for betting
  16. net — after costs
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. last — to go on
  19. net — for catching
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. rest — what's left
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. pit — a hole
  24. net — in sport

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