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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: chest · cue · rock · key · spell · bound · rush · rash

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. rush — hurry
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. bound — obliged
  5. spell — magic
  6. rock — a stone
  7. rock — music
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. spell — letters
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. bound — tied together
  12. chest — a box
  13. chest — of your body
  14. key — the most important part
  15. bound — certain
  16. rash — a series
  17. key — in music
  18. cue — a signal
  19. cue — for pool
  20. spell — a short time
  21. key — for a lock
  22. cue — a hint
  23. chest — of your body
  24. rush — a thrill

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