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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.

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: chair · straw · foot · present · file · fan · object · suit

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. present — the time now
  3. chair — a leader
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. present — a gift
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. suit — clothes
  11. file — a document
  12. object — a thing
  13. file — a line of people
  14. suit — to fit
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. present — there
  18. object — an aim
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. foot — a measure
  21. suit — in cards
  22. object — to protest
  23. file — a tool
  24. foot — part of the 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