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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: date · chair · lean · coach · fan · nail · roll · sharp

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. chair — a leader
  4. date — the fruit
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. roll — a list
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. lean — to bend
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. roll — a cake
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. lean — thin
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. sharp — clever
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. fan — to cool the air

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