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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. rash — hasty
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fork — in a road
  6. chip — for betting
  7. cap — of ice
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. game — a match
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. cap — a hat
  14. key — the most important part
  15. bark — to shout
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. cap — a lid
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. game — wild animals
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. rash — a series
  23. key — in music
  24. key — for a lock

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