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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. stand — to bear
  3. last — finally
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. land — a country
  6. file — a document
  7. last — to go on
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. last — final
  10. charge — electricity
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. foot — a measure
  13. chip — for betting
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. charge — a price
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. chip — to eat
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. land — to come down
  21. land — ground
  22. charge — in control
  23. file — a line of people
  24. file — a tool

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