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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: race · kid · suit · rash · club · chest

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. rash — a series
  5. race — the arms race
  6. chest — a box
  7. rash — hasty
  8. chest — of your body
  9. race — a contest
  10. kid — to tease
  11. club — a group
  12. suit — clothes
  13. club — for dancing
  14. kid — child
  15. club — for golf
  16. chest — of your body
  17. suit — in cards
  18. race — humankind

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