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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 120 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
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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 · staff · bass · kick · saw · rush · drill

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. bass — low music
  8. drill — army training
  9. staff — a stick
  10. saw — the tool
  11. rash — hasty
  12. bass — the fish
  13. kick — in football
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. staff — employees
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. drill — the tool
  18. saw — the tool
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. staff — employees
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. drill — a practice
  23. chair — a leader
  24. rash — a series

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