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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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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: chair · club · key · kid · rash · game · foot · fan

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. key — the most important part
  4. rash — a series
  5. club — for dancing
  6. club — for golf
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. kid — child
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. foot — a measure
  12. rash — hasty
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. chair — a leader
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. kid — to tease
  17. game — wild animals
  18. game — a match
  19. key — for a lock
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. club — a group
  23. key — in music
  24. chair — to sit on

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