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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.

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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: fan · shower · cabinet · nail · mark · pitch · chair · date

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. date — the fruit
  4. mark — a grade
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. shower — rain
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. chair — a leader
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. mark — a trace
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. pitch — completely
  24. chair — a professorship

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