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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: rash · rush · last · chair · firm · spring · perch · pass

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. pass — a permit
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. last — final
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. firm — steady
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. spring — the season
  10. rash — hasty
  11. spring — a coil
  12. perch — the fish
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. spring — of water
  15. rush — hurry
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. chair — a leader
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. last — to go on
  21. firm — a company
  22. last — finally
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. rash — a series

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