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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: march · rash · rush · chair · can · scale · chip · club

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. can — to be able to
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. club — for dancing
  5. rash — hasty
  6. can — a tin
  7. chair — a leader
  8. chip — to eat
  9. rush — hurry
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. rash — a series
  12. scale — in music
  13. club — for golf
  14. march — the month
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. march — the month
  19. club — a group
  20. can — a tin
  21. chip — for betting
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. march — music
  24. scale — size or range

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