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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: rush · chip · mouse · jam · last · chair · pitcher · pound

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. last — final
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. chip — for betting
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. chair — a leader
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. last — finally
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. pound — a weight
  19. rush — hurry
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. chip — to eat
  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