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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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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: chair · rash · cue · mug · fan · deal · land · present

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. land — a country
  4. land — to come down
  5. cue — a hint
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. mug — a face
  8. present — the time now
  9. land — ground
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. chair — a leader
  13. deal — to handle
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. rash — a series
  16. present — there
  17. present — a gift
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. rash — hasty
  20. cue — for pool
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. cue — a signal
  24. mug — to rob

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