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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. chip — for betting
  3. roll — a list
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. ground — a position
  8. ground — the earth
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. chip — to eat
  13. roll — a cake
  14. rash — hasty
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. date — the fruit
  22. ground — crushed
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. cabinet — ministers

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