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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: mug · chair · fan · march · squash · deal · sharp · foot

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. deal — to handle
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. mug — a face
  5. foot — a measure
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. sharp — clever
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. squash — to crush
  11. mug — to rob
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. squash — the sport
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. march — the month
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. march — the month
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. march — music
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. mug — a cup

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