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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. degree — an amount
  3. chip — to eat
  4. chip — for betting
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. row — a line
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. degree — temperature
  12. degree — from a university
  13. prune — to trim
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. present — the time now
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. present — there
  20. row — to paddle
  21. prune — to trim
  22. present — a gift
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. chip — in a computer

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