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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: spell · rash · chest · mate · staff · hand · bass · fan

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  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. bass — low music
  2. chest — a box
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. spell — a short time
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. chest — of your body
  7. chest — of your body
  8. spell — letters
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. mate — a friend
  11. bass — the fish
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. staff — employees
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. hand — help
  16. mate — a partner
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. staff — a stick
  19. spell — magic
  20. rash — hasty
  21. mate — to breed
  22. hand — in cards
  23. staff — employees
  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