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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 120 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: chair · nail · net · pop · game · fan · can · deal

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. net — in sport
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. can — a tin
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. can — to be able to
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. pop — music
  13. pop — soda
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. net — after costs
  16. pop — to visit
  17. deal — to handle
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. can — a tin
  20. game — wild animals
  21. game — a match
  22. net — for catching
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. fan — a supporter

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