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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.

Make a worksheet

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 · bay · bound · object · fan · net · kid · rash

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. net — for catching
  5. object — a thing
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. rash — hasty
  10. net — after costs
  11. chair — a leader
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. bound — tied together
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. kid — to tease
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. bound — certain
  20. rash — a series
  21. bound — obliged
  22. object — to protest
  23. net — in sport
  24. object — an aim

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