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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. land — a country
  3. kid — child
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. pop — to visit
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. pop — music
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. pop — soda
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. kid — to tease
  16. toast — bread
  17. chip — to eat
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. land — ground
  23. chip — for betting
  24. land — to come down

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