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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. season — of the year
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. chip — to eat
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. game — wild animals
  12. lean — to bend
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. game — a match
  15. lean — thin
  16. chip — for betting
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. season — in sport
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. fan — a supporter

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