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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: pit · rush · perch · rash · board · chair · bass · tube

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. board — a committee
  3. rush — hurry
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. bass — the fish
  7. chair — a leader
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. tube — a container
  11. perch — the fish
  12. pit — a hole
  13. tube — the underground
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. rash — hasty
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. pit — in a race
  20. bass — low music
  21. board — to get on
  22. rash — a series
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. rash — on the skin

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