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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
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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: lash · wave · fan · court · mine · rule · chair · pop

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. mine — for digging
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. rule — a law
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. court — of a king
  8. rule — government
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. court — for sport
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. court — of law
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. pop — soda
  18. pop — music
  19. chair — a leader
  20. pop — to visit
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. rule — to rule out

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