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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.

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
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: trunk · chest · racket · fan · club · staff · court · fine

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. staff — employees
  3. club — a group
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. staff — a stick
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. club — for dancing
  8. court — of a king
  9. court — for sport
  10. staff — employees
  11. court — of law
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. chest — a box
  16. fine — high quality
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. club — for golf
  19. fine — all right
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. chest — of your body
  24. chest — of your body

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