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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. chest — a box
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. charge — in control
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. bat — the animal
  10. charge — electricity
  11. chip — to eat
  12. chest — of your body
  13. charge — a price
  14. chest — of your body
  15. bore — to drill
  16. bore — to tire
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. stand — to bear
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. chip — for betting
  24. stand — for spectators

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