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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: staff · roll · rash · lash · pit · suit · degree · chest

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. degree — from a university
  4. chest — of your body
  5. rash — a series
  6. roll — a list
  7. staff — employees
  8. chest — a box
  9. rash — hasty
  10. roll — a cake
  11. staff — employees
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. degree — an amount
  15. chest — of your body
  16. suit — to fit
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. pit — a hole
  19. suit — in cards
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. suit — clothes
  22. pit — in a race
  23. degree — temperature
  24. roll — on a roll

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