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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: staff · net · dip · rest · chest · rash · fine · fan

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. staff — employees
  3. fine — all right
  4. rash — hasty
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. rash — a series
  8. chest — of your body
  9. staff — employees
  10. net — for catching
  11. dip — to sink
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. rest — a break
  14. chest — a box
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. rest — what's left
  18. chest — of your body
  19. fine — high quality
  20. net — in sport
  21. staff — a stick
  22. net — after costs
  23. rest — what's left
  24. fan — a supporter

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