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

Word bank: staff · cue · racket · chair · deal · fan · prune · wind

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. cue — for pool
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. cue — a signal
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. prune — to trim
  10. wind — moving air
  11. staff — employees
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. chair — a leader
  14. staff — a stick
  15. deal — to handle
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. cue — a hint
  18. staff — employees
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. prune — to trim

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