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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: club · rush · row · hand · rest · sharp · rash · can

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. hand — in cards
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. club — for dancing
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. row — a line
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. club — a group
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. rest — a break
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. row — to paddle
  13. rush — hurry
  14. sharp — clever
  15. can — a tin
  16. rash — hasty
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rest — what's left
  19. hand — help
  20. rash — a series
  21. can — to be able to
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. club — for golf

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