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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. present — the time now
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. game — a match
  11. cell — a phone
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. chair — a leader
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. present — a gift
  16. cell — in biology
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. present — there
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. toast — bread
  21. game — wild animals
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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