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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: sharp · content · fan · game · nail · squash · chair · stand

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. squash — to crush
  7. content — happy
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. game — wild animals
  12. squash — the sport
  13. stand — to bear
  14. chair — a leader
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. game — a match
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. sharp — clever
  24. sharp — exactly

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