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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fine — high quality
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. root — of a plant
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. chip — to eat
  8. season — of the year
  9. chip — for betting
  10. root — the cause
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. season — in sport
  13. chest — a box
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. chest — of your body
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. hand — in cards
  18. current — of water
  19. fine — all right
  20. hand — help
  21. chest — of your body
  22. root — of a word
  23. current — happening now
  24. current — electric

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