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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: rash · chair · snap · bass · file · row · pass · present

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. rash — hasty
  3. file — a document
  4. file — a line of people
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. bass — the fish
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. row — to paddle
  9. chair — a leader
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. bass — low music
  12. snap — to click
  13. pass — a permit
  14. file — a tool
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. row — a line
  19. present — there
  20. present — a gift
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. present — the time now

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