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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 124 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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fork — in a road
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. chip — for betting
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. wax — to grow
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. dip — to sink
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. chest — of your body
  19. ball — a great time
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chip — to eat
  22. ball — a dance
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. chest — a box

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