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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 · jam · lash · last · chair · date · pop · wound

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. pop — to visit
  4. last — to go on
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. pop — music
  7. wound — an injury
  8. last — final
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. last — finally
  14. pop — soda
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. wound — an injury
  17. date — the fruit
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. chair — a leader

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