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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: nail · stick · fine · last · rule · rush · chest · pass

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. rule — government
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. rule — a law
  6. chest — of your body
  7. last — final
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. fine — high quality
  11. rush — hurry
  12. fine — all right
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. pass — a permit
  15. chest — of your body
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. chest — a box
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. last — to go 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