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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 120 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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. game — a match
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. chip — for betting
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. rock — music
  10. chest — a box
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. rock — a stone
  13. chest — of your body
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. chest — of your body
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. prune — to trim
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. game — wild animals
  22. prune — to trim
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. chip — to eat

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