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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. chip — for betting
  4. row — to paddle
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. degree — temperature
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. board — a committee
  11. chip — to eat
  12. degree — from a university
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. mine — for digging
  16. saw — the tool
  17. lie — to recline
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. board — to get on
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. row — a line
  22. degree — an amount
  23. saw — the tool
  24. mine — an explosive

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