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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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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 · chair · foot · cabinet · wound · track · cap · board

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. chair — a leader
  4. foot — a measure
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. cap — a hat
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. wound — an injury
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. wound — an injury
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. track — to keep track
  17. track — a song
  18. track — a path
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. board — a committee
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cap — of ice
  24. cap — a lid

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