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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. chair — a leader
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. clip — to cut
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. roll — a list
  8. club — a group
  9. band — a music group
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. mug — to rob
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. clip — a video
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. mug — a cup
  18. club — for dancing
  19. roll — a cake
  20. mug — a face
  21. band — a ring
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. club — for golf
  24. clip — for paper

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