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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 116 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: staff · chip · rest · wound · patient · ball · snap · last

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. rest — a break
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. staff — a stick
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. last — finally
  7. rest — what's left
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. staff — employees
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. chip — to eat
  14. rest — what's left
  15. wound — an injury
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. ball — a great time
  18. chip — for betting
  19. ball — a dance
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. staff — employees
  23. snap — to click
  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