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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · bore · wave · key · band · chair · ball · game

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. ball — a dance
  4. bore — to drill
  5. band — a ring
  6. game — a match
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. bore — to tire
  10. game — wild animals
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. ball — a great time
  16. chair — a leader
  17. key — the most important part
  18. key — in music
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. band — a music group
  21. rash — a series
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. key — for a lock
  24. band — a rubber band

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