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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.

Make a worksheet

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
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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: saw · chair · hand · fine · fan · stock · mine · roll

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. fine — high quality
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. fine — all right
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. saw — the tool
  8. stock — goods
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. stock — shares
  12. roll — a list
  13. hand — in cards
  14. hand — help
  15. saw — the tool
  16. chair — a leader
  17. roll — a cake
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. mine — for digging

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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