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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.

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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: nail · last · chair · suit · cell · squash · kick · wind

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. kick — in football
  3. last — finally
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. suit — clothes
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. squash — to crush
  9. last — final
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. cell — in biology
  12. cell — a phone
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. wind — moving air
  15. suit — in cards
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. chair — a leader
  20. squash — the sport
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. wind — moving air
  23. suit — to fit
  24. chair — to sit on

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