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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: wound · chair · chip · cabinet · pass · rock · toast · fan

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. rock — a stone
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. rock — music
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. wound — an injury
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. toast — bread
  15. wound — an injury
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. pass — a permit
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. chair — a leader
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. chip — for betting
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. chip — to eat

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