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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: chest · fan · court · saw · suit · cabinet · pass · spring

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. chest — a box
  3. pass — a permit
  4. court — of law
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. spring — of water
  7. chest — of your body
  8. saw — the tool
  9. suit — in cards
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. suit — to fit
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. spring — the season
  14. court — of a king
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. court — for sport
  18. chest — of your body
  19. spring — a coil
  20. suit — clothes
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. pass — to succeed

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