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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  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. bat — the animal
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. rest — what's left
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. chip — for betting
  6. rush — hurry
  7. chest — of your body
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. chest — a box
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. rest — a break
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. chest — of your body
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. rest — what's left
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. chip — to eat
  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