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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. land — to come down
  3. chip — for betting
  4. rule — a law
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. foot — a measure
  8. land — a country
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. pound — a weight
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. land — ground
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. rule — government
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. chip — to eat
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. straw — dry grass

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