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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.

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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. land — to come down
  4. mine — for digging
  5. club — for golf
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. chip — for betting
  11. chip — to eat
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. land — a country
  14. land — ground
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. club — a group
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. club — for dancing
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. mine — an explosive

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