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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. squash — the sport
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. staff — employees
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. squash — to crush
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. scale — size or range
  10. bear — the animal
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. bear — the animal
  13. scale — in music
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. wound — an injury
  16. chip — for betting
  17. chip — to eat
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. staff — employees
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. wound — an injury
  22. plane — a tool
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. staff — a stick

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