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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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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: foot · fine · hand · fan · kid · chair · rule · last

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. last — finally
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. chair — a leader
  7. fine — high quality
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. last — final
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. rule — government
  12. last — to go on
  13. rule — a law
  14. hand — in cards
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. foot — a measure
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fine — all right
  19. kid — to tease
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. hand — help
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. kid — child
  24. hand — part of the body

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