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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: staff · fork · last · court · row · cabinet · chest · rest

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. rest — what's left
  3. chest — of your body
  4. staff — a stick
  5. court — for sport
  6. last — finally
  7. row — a line
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. staff — employees
  10. row — to paddle
  11. rest — what's left
  12. fork — in a road
  13. chest — of your body
  14. court — of a king
  15. last — final
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. chest — a box
  19. last — to go on
  20. staff — employees
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. rest — a break
  23. court — of law
  24. row — a quarrel

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