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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: bore · last · spring · pass · fan · chair · suit · content

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. spring — a coil
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. last — to go on
  7. last — finally
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. suit — in cards
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. bore — to drill
  15. last — final
  16. spring — of water
  17. suit — to fit
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. content — the amount
  20. suit — clothes
  21. bore — to tire
  22. spring — the season
  23. chair — a leader
  24. pass — a permit

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