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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: scale · staff · jam · saw · swing · hand · rash · suit

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. suit — in cards
  3. saw — the tool
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. swing — to play on
  6. staff — a stick
  7. suit — clothes
  8. staff — employees
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. hand — help
  11. saw — the tool
  12. swing — in golf
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. staff — employees
  16. rash — a series
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. suit — to fit
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. hand — in cards
  21. swing — music
  22. scale — size or range
  23. scale — in music
  24. rash — on the skin

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