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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: fan · suit · rush · last · chest · rash · ball · cap

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. suit — in cards
  3. suit — to fit
  4. ball — a great time
  5. last — finally
  6. suit — clothes
  7. ball — a dance
  8. chest — a box
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. chest — of your body
  12. cap — a lid
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. cap — of ice
  16. cap — a hat
  17. rush — hurry
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. rash — hasty
  21. last — to go on
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. rash — a series
  24. last — final

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