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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 116 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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  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. chip — in a computer
  3. cap — a hat
  4. fork — in a road
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. march — the month
  10. chip — for betting
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. march — music
  13. cap — of ice
  14. press — newspapers
  15. press — to push
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. press — a publisher
  19. saw — the tool
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. march — the month
  22. cap — a lid
  23. fan — to cool the air
  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