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

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. pit — in a race
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. rest — what's left
  5. chest — of your body
  6. rush — hurry
  7. pit — a hole
  8. rule — a law
  9. pound — a weight
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. chest — a box
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. rest — a break
  15. rule — government
  16. last — to go on
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. rest — what's left
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. chest — of your body
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. last — final
  24. last — finally

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