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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: hand · suit · mouse · drill · rash · track · perch · chair

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. track — a song
  3. suit — to fit
  4. suit — in cards
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. drill — the tool
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. hand — in cards
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. drill — a practice
  11. track — to keep track
  12. perch — the fish
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. chair — a leader
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. hand — help
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. rash — a series
  20. suit — clothes
  21. track — a path
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. drill — army training
  24. perch — for a bird

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