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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. tube — the underground
  4. chip — to eat
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. tube — a container
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. chip — for betting
  17. pound — a weight
  18. snap — to click
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bat — the animal

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