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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.

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: chair · bass · field · rash · toast · charge · wave · rock

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. chair — a leader
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. rock — music
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. bass — low music
  8. charge — in control
  9. rock — a stone
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. rash — hasty
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. bass — the fish
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. field — a subject
  16. field — farmland
  17. toast — bread
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. field — for sport
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. charge — electricity
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. charge — a price

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