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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: rest · degree · chest · charge · firm · last · nail · stick

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. rest — what's left
  3. degree — from a university
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — of your body
  6. charge — a price
  7. last — final
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. firm — steady
  11. charge — electricity
  12. last — finally
  13. chest — a box
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. degree — an amount
  16. charge — in control
  17. rest — what's left
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. last — to go on
  21. degree — temperature
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. firm — decided
  24. firm — a company

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