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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. mine — for digging
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. chip — to eat
  9. stand — to bear
  10. rule — a law
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. rule — government
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. date — the fruit
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. snap — to click
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. chip — for betting
  24. date — on the calendar

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