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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. ball — a great time
  3. ball — a dance
  4. chip — for betting
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. cold — an illness
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. key — for a lock
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. game — wild animals
  14. game — a match
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. chip — to eat
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. can — to be able to
  20. can — a tin
  21. cold — not warm
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. key — in music
  24. key — the most important part

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