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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. chip — to eat
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. land — a country
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. mark — a grade
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. land — to come down
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. wake — a trail
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. chip — for betting
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. mark — a trace
  22. dip — to sink
  23. land — ground
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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