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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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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: rash · coach · last · fine · hand · rush · fan · firm

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. hand — help
  3. firm — a company
  4. fine — all right
  5. rash — a series
  6. rash — hasty
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. rush — hurry
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. last — to go on
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. last — final
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. firm — steady
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. hand — in cards
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. firm — decided
  24. last — finally

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