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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. bound — tied together
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bound — certain
  6. net — in sport
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. net — for catching
  9. net — after costs
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. chip — for betting
  12. bound — obliged
  13. wind — moving air
  14. chip — to eat
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. face — to point toward
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. face — part of the head
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. face — to confront
  23. fork — in a road
  24. wind — to turn a key

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