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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 potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. firm — decided
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. firm — a company
  6. pop — to visit
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. firm — steady
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. chip — for betting
  13. pop — soda
  14. pop — music
  15. snap — to click
  16. net — for catching
  17. game — a match
  18. net — after costs
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. net — in sport
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. game — wild animals

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