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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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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: ball · rest · pit · row · chip · kick · last · cabinet

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. last — finally
  3. row — a line
  4. chip — to eat
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. rest — what's left
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. ball — a great time
  9. rest — a break
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. row — to paddle
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. last — to go on
  14. pit — a hole
  15. kick — in football
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. chip — for betting
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. last — final
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. rest — what's left
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. pit — in a race

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