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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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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: racket · present · key · toast · chest · fan · chair · band

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. band — a ring
  3. chest — of your body
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. key — the most important part
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. key — in music
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. key — for a lock
  11. present — a gift
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. present — there
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. chest — a box
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. present — the time now
  21. chair — a leader
  22. chest — of your body
  23. toast — bread
  24. band — a music group

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