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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: fan · rock · fine · rush · rash · capital · chair · can

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. rock — music
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. rush — hurry
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. rock — a stone
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. fine — all right
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. can — a tin
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. rash — a series
  16. rash — hasty
  17. capital — money
  18. chair — a leader
  19. can — a tin
  20. capital — a city
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. fine — high quality
  24. can — to be able to

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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