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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 120 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: suit · wake · chair · bass · racket · hand · drill · rash

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. wake — a trail
  3. drill — a practice
  4. bass — low music
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. chair — a leader
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. bass — the fish
  10. rash — a series
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. suit — in cards
  13. drill — the tool
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. hand — help
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. drill — army training
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. rash — hasty
  22. hand — in cards
  23. suit — clothes
  24. racket — for tennis

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