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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ball · fan · pitcher · craft · chair · saw

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. ball — a great time
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. saw — the tool
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. craft — a skill
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. craft — boats
  17. saw — the tool
  18. ball — a dance

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