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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: pop · spring · rash · chair · bay · pitcher · fan · last

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. spring — a coil
  4. rash — hasty
  5. spring — the season
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. pop — soda
  13. chair — a leader
  14. last — finally
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. pop — music
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. last — to go on
  20. pop — to visit
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. spring — of water
  24. last — final

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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