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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. chip — for betting
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. land — a country
  6. wound — an injury
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. squash — the sport
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. land — ground
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. wound — an injury
  15. chip — to eat
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. squash — to crush
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. season — of the year
  21. land — to come down
  22. season — in sport
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. fan — a supporter

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