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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: chair · firm · nail · row · last · rush · cue · chest

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. firm — steady
  5. cue — a hint
  6. last — to go on
  7. last — finally
  8. cue — a signal
  9. last — final
  10. chair — a leader
  11. chest — a box
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. firm — decided
  15. cue — for pool
  16. row — a line
  17. chest — of your body
  18. chest — of your body
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. row — to paddle
  21. rush — hurry
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. nail — for a hammer

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