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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: march · roll · fan · plane · rule · object · toast · chair

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. object — an aim
  4. roll — a list
  5. chair — a leader
  6. toast — bread
  7. march — music
  8. rule — a law
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. march — the month
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. march — the month
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. roll — a cake
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. object — to protest
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. plane — a tool
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. rule — government
  24. object — a thing

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