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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.

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: key · rash · fan · deal · chair · mug · clip · cell

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. key — the most important part
  3. cell — a phone
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. clip — for paper
  8. clip — a video
  9. mug — a face
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. chair — a leader
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. cell — in biology
  15. mug — a cup
  16. clip — to cut
  17. rash — hasty
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. deal — to handle
  20. key — for a lock
  21. rash — a series
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. key — in music
  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