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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.

Make a worksheet

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: present · fan · nail · chair · swing · arm · bass · rash

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. present — the time now
  5. present — a gift
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. rash — hasty
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. rash — a series
  14. present — there
  15. chair — a leader
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. swing — to play on
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. bass — low music
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. swing — in golf
  23. bass — the fish
  24. swing — music

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