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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: bank · last · deal · squash · present · chest · rest · charge

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. chest — of your body
  3. charge — electricity
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. bank — for money
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. squash — the sport
  9. last — finally
  10. rest — what's left
  11. chest — of your body
  12. charge — in control
  13. charge — a price
  14. bank — of a river
  15. rest — a break
  16. chest — a box
  17. squash — to crush
  18. last — to go on
  19. present — a gift
  20. bank — for money
  21. rest — what's left
  22. present — there
  23. deal — to handle
  24. last — final

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