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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
468
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: chair · bark · bass · cabinet · rash · ruler · land · last

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. rash — hasty
  3. rash — a series
  4. land — to come down
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. last — to go on
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. bass — the fish
  11. land — a country
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. last — finally
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. bass — low music
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. land — ground
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. bark — to shout
  20. chair — a leader
  21. last — final
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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