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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 116 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: pound · kid · cap · chair · fan · rest · fine · craft

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. cap — a lid
  3. cap — a hat
  4. kid — to tease
  5. craft — boats
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. pound — a weight
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fine — all right
  11. chair — a leader
  12. fine — high quality
  13. rest — what's left
  14. cap — of ice
  15. rest — what's left
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. craft — a skill
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. rest — a break
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. fine — a penalty

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