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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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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: cold · last · rock · nail · chair · game · bear · present

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. last — to go on
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bear — the animal
  5. game — wild animals
  6. rock — a stone
  7. game — a match
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. last — final
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. present — there
  12. present — a gift
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. cold — not warm
  15. last — finally
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. present — the time now
  19. cold — an illness
  20. rock — music
  21. chair — a leader
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. chair — a professorship

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