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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: rash · chair · swing · fork · last · tear

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. chair — a leader
  3. last — final
  4. swing — to play on
  5. last — finally
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. swing — in golf
  8. fork — in a road
  9. tear — from crying
  10. rash — a series
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. last — to go on
  13. tear — to rip
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. rash — hasty
  16. tear — from crying
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. fork — a garden tool

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