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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: season · rash · spell · swing · chest · nail · chair · club

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. swing — to play on
  3. season — in sport
  4. chest — of your body
  5. spell — a short time
  6. club — for golf
  7. chair — a leader
  8. rash — a series
  9. spell — letters
  10. club — a group
  11. rash — hasty
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. club — for dancing
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. swing — in golf
  17. chest — a box
  18. spell — magic
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. chest — of your body
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. season — of the year
  24. nail — for a hammer

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