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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
468
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 · chest · net · toast · court · band · cap · mug

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. mug — a cup
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. cap — a lid
  5. band — a music group
  6. net — for catching
  7. court — of a king
  8. cap — of ice
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. net — after costs
  13. court — for sport
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chest — of your body
  16. cap — a hat
  17. mug — to rob
  18. band — a ring
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. court — of law
  21. toast — bread
  22. mug — a face
  23. chest — a box
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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