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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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 — for betting
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. present — a gift
  9. game — wild animals
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. stock — shares
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. chip — to eat
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. stock — goods
  20. game — a match
  21. date — the fruit
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. present — there
  24. present — the time now

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