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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. chip — to eat
  6. pit — a hole
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. pop — to visit
  9. pit — in a race
  10. can — a tin
  11. game — a match
  12. pop — music
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. can — to be able to
  15. game — wild animals
  16. band — a music group
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. date — the fruit
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. chip — for betting
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. band — a ring
  24. can — a tin

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