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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.

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 · cell · dip · saw · fan · game · rule · board

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. game — wild animals
  5. game — a match
  6. dip — to sink
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. saw — the tool
  9. chair — a leader
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. board — to get on
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. rule — a law
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. board — a committee
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. cell — in biology
  22. rule — government
  23. saw — the tool
  24. game — a kind of play

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