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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 · foot · chair · season · chip · race · craft · bat

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. race — humankind
  3. race — a contest
  4. chair — a leader
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. chip — to eat
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bat — the animal
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. race — the arms race
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. season — in sport
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. chip — for betting
  20. craft — boats
  21. craft — a skill
  22. foot — a measure
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. chair — to sit on

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