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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. race — humankind
  3. saw — the tool
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. track — a path
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. saw — the tool
  11. bat — the animal
  12. chip — to eat
  13. race — the arms race
  14. date — the fruit
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. track — a song
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. track — to keep track
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. race — a contest
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. calf — a young animal

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