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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  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 — a supporter
  2. spring — of water
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. staff — a stick
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. chip — for betting
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. spring — a coil
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. scale — in music
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. content — happy
  14. scale — size or range
  15. content — the amount
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. rash — a series
  20. staff — employees
  21. rash — hasty
  22. spring — the season
  23. staff — employees
  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