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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: plane · chair · chest · nail · fan · mug · pitch · pop

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. mug — a face
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. pitch — completely
  6. chest — of your body
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. mug — to rob
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. mug — a cup
  13. chest — of your body
  14. pop — music
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. pop — soda
  19. pop — to visit
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. chest — a box
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. plane — a tool

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