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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: chair · rash · safe · mug · sharp · club · roll · bass

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. club — for golf
  4. club — a group
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. rash — hasty
  7. roll — a cake
  8. bass — the fish
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. club — for dancing
  11. mug — a face
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. sharp — clever
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. mug — to rob
  17. rash — a series
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. chair — a leader
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. mug — a cup
  24. roll — a list

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