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

Word bank: rest · last · kick · ruler · pit · game

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. pit — in a race
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. rest — what's left
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. pit — a hole
  8. last — final
  9. last — to go on
  10. last — finally
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. game — a match
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. kick — in football
  15. game — wild animals
  16. rest — what's left
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. pit — a fruit stone

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