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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. tear — to rip
  3. field — for sport
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. tear — from crying
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. foot — a measure
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. field — farmland
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. field — a subject
  18. chip — for betting
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. stand — to bear
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. tear — from crying
  24. chip — to eat

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