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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 120 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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. chip — to eat
  5. chip — for betting
  6. field — for sport
  7. last — to go on
  8. hand — in cards
  9. rest — a break
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rest — what's left
  12. last — finally
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. field — farmland
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. pass — a permit
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. last — final
  22. field — a subject
  23. rush — hurry
  24. hand — help

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