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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  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. shower — a meteor shower
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. cold — an illness
  6. cold — not warm
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. toast — bread
  9. rash — a series
  10. foot — a measure
  11. chip — to eat
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. fork — in a road
  14. shower — to wash
  15. chip — for betting
  16. shower — rain
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. rash — hasty
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  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