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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 120 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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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: fan · band · rule · object · present · chair · board · snap

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. chair — a leader
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. board — a committee
  5. present — there
  6. present — the time now
  7. present — a gift
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. object — an aim
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. rule — a law
  13. object — a thing
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. band — a music group
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. band — a ring
  19. snap — to click
  20. board — to get on
  21. object — to protest
  22. rule — government
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. fan — to cool the air

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