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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. bass — the fish
  3. march — music
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. march — the month
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. chip — to eat
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. chip — for betting
  11. bass — low music
  12. march — the month
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. snap — to click

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