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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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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: chair · squash · nail · last · hand · charge · ruler · staff

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. staff — employees
  3. charge — electricity
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. charge — a price
  6. charge — in control
  7. squash — the sport
  8. squash — to crush
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. staff — employees
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. chair — a leader
  14. hand — in cards
  15. last — to go on
  16. staff — a stick
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. last — finally
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. hand — help

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