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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. can — a tin
  4. chip — for betting
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. snap — to click
  7. cell — a phone
  8. rash — a series
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. rash — hasty
  12. prune — to trim
  13. cell — in biology
  14. can — a tin
  15. can — to be able to
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. prune — to trim
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. chip — to eat
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. pitch — completely

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