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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: cell · rash · roll · rush · ground · game · rest · swing

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. cell — in biology
  3. rash — hasty
  4. ground — a position
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. rash — a series
  7. rush — hurry
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. cell — a phone
  10. swing — to play on
  11. rest — what's left
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. roll — a cake
  15. swing — in golf
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. game — a match
  18. swing — music
  19. ground — crushed
  20. roll — a list
  21. game — wild animals
  22. rest — a break
  23. ground — the earth
  24. rest — what's left

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