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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.

Make a worksheet

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: chair · cell · object · rush · club · rest

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. object — to protest
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. club — for golf
  6. club — a group
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. rush — hurry
  9. cell — a phone
  10. rest — what's left
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. rest — a break
  14. chair — a leader
  15. object — a thing
  16. club — for dancing
  17. cell — in biology
  18. object — an aim

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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