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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 116 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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. chair — a leader
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. court — for sport
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. cue — a hint
  9. game — a match
  10. court — of law
  11. cue — for pool
  12. pass — a permit
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. craft — boats
  17. craft — a skill
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. cue — a signal
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. game — wild animals
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. court — of a king

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