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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 120 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
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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: suit · ball · chest · rash · sharp · scale · wound · staff

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  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. suit — to fit
  2. staff — employees
  3. wound — an injury
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — a box
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. staff — employees
  8. staff — a stick
  9. suit — clothes
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. ball — a dance
  12. sharp — clever
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. ball — a great time
  15. chest — of your body
  16. scale — size or range
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. rash — hasty
  19. suit — in cards
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. scale — in music
  22. wound — an injury
  23. sharp — with an edge
  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