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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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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. hand — in cards
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. hand — help
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. pit — in a race
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. content — happy
  11. chip — to eat
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. content — the amount
  17. charge — electricity
  18. charge — a price
  19. pit — a hole
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. kick — in football
  22. charge — in control
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. chip — for betting

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