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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: chair · game · rule · rock · fan · bat · file · pop

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. pop — music
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. rule — government
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. pop — soda
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. game — wild animals
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. rule — a law
  15. file — a tool
  16. bat — the animal
  17. rock — a stone
  18. game — a match
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. chair — a leader
  21. rock — music
  22. pop — to visit
  23. file — a document
  24. fan — a supporter

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