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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 120 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: chair · cue · band · fork · foot · fan · tear · kid

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. cue — for pool
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. band — a ring
  8. tear — to rip
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. tear — from crying
  11. foot — a measure
  12. kid — child
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. cue — a signal
  15. kid — to tease
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. band — a music group
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. chair — a leader
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. tear — from crying
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. cue — a hint
  24. chair — to sit on

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