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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: squash · mate · rest · arm · rock · last · staff · pit

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. last — final
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. squash — to crush
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rock — music
  8. rest — what's left
  9. staff — employees
  10. mate — a friend
  11. last — finally
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. staff — a stick
  14. rest — a break
  15. mate — to breed
  16. rock — a stone
  17. squash — the sport
  18. mate — a partner
  19. pit — a hole
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. pit — in a race
  24. staff — employees

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