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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. craft — boats
  4. lean — to bend
  5. chip — for betting
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. file — a line of people
  8. chip — to eat
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. craft — a skill
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. file — a tool
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. file — a document
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. lean — thin
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. perch — the fish
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. fork — in a road
  24. kick — in football

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