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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: date · chest · last · ball · root · rush · rest · row

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. ball — a dance
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. date — the fruit
  6. rest — what's left
  7. root — of a plant
  8. chest — a box
  9. chest — of your body
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. row — a line
  12. last — final
  13. row — to paddle
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. ball — a great time
  16. rest — what's left
  17. root — the cause
  18. root — of a word
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. rest — a break
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. chest — of your body
  23. last — finally
  24. rush — hurry

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