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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.

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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: deal · fork · fan · file · clip · bore · press · chair

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. clip — for paper
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. press — a publisher
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. file — a document
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. clip — a video
  11. press — to push
  12. bore — to drill
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. press — newspapers
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. deal — to handle
  17. file — a line of people
  18. chair — a leader
  19. file — a tool
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. bore — to tire
  23. clip — to cut
  24. fork — in a road

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