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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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. foot — the bottom
  4. pit — in a race
  5. kid — child
  6. foot — a measure
  7. chip — to eat
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. can — to be able to
  10. can — a tin
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. wind — moving air
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. can — a tin
  18. wind — moving air
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. pit — a hole
  21. chip — for betting
  22. kid — to tease
  23. fork — in a road
  24. fork — to eat with

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