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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. roll — a cake
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. band — a music group
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. chair — a leader
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. stem — to come from
  13. roll — a list
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. toast — bread
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. rush — hurry
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. band — a ring

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