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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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. coach — a trainer
  4. chest — of your body
  5. rash — a series
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. chest — of your body
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. board — to get on
  10. rash — hasty
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. chest — a box
  17. board — a committee
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. squash — to crush
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. squash — the sport

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