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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. band — a music group
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. ground — crushed
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. board — to get on
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. fine — all right
  12. land — to come down
  13. band — a ring
  14. board — a committee
  15. fine — high quality
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. ground — a position
  18. chair — a leader
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. ground — the earth
  21. land — a country
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. land — ground

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