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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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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: wind · jam · chair · fan · pop · deal · fall · cell

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. pop — soda
  3. wind — moving air
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. pop — to visit
  6. chair — a leader
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. fall — the season
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. wind — moving air
  16. deal — to handle
  17. fall — to drop
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. cell — a phone
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. cell — in biology
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. pop — music
  24. chair — a professorship

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