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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.

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: fan · pass · shower · chair · racket · file · wave · court

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. pass — a permit
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. court — of a king
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. chair — a leader
  10. file — a document
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. file — a line of people
  15. court — for sport
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. file — a tool
  21. shower — to wash
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. court — of law
  24. shower — rain

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