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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: track · perch · pit · rash · rush · bass · game · chair

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  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 — on the skin
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. chair — a leader
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. rash — hasty
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. rush — hurry
  9. game — a match
  10. bass — low music
  11. rash — a series
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. pit — a hole
  14. pit — in a race
  15. game — wild animals
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. track — a path
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. bass — the fish
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. track — to keep track
  22. track — a song
  23. perch — the fish
  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