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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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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: present · cell · fan · kid · club · pass · straw · chair

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  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. pass — a permit
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. club — for golf
  7. club — a group
  8. present — a gift
  9. chair — a leader
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. club — for dancing
  13. cell — in biology
  14. cell — a phone
  15. present — the time now
  16. present — there
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. kid — child
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. kid — to tease
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. pass — to spend time
  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