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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. spring — of water
  4. board — to get on
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. spring — the season
  7. spring — a coil
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. board — a committee
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. game — a match
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. kick — in football
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. game — wild animals
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. chip — for betting

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