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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 · rush · key · pitcher · fan · hand · court · board

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. hand — help
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. chair — a leader
  5. board — to get on
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. hand — in cards
  9. key — in music
  10. rush — hurry
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. key — for a lock
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. key — the most important part
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. court — for sport
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. court — of law
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. board — a committee
  22. court — of a king
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. board — a flat piece

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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