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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 116 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.

Make a worksheet

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: club · spell · face · rush · rash · chair · patient · stick

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. rash — hasty
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. rush — hurry
  5. club — for dancing
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. face — part of the head
  8. rash — a series
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. face — to confront
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. face — to point toward
  14. club — a group
  15. chair — a leader
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. spell — magic
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. spell — letters
  24. club — for golf

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