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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. ground — crushed
  6. pitch — completely
  7. season — of the year
  8. season — in sport
  9. clip — for paper
  10. land — a country
  11. clip — to cut
  12. land — ground
  13. chip — to eat
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. land — to come down
  16. clip — a video
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. chip — for betting
  23. ground — a position
  24. ground — the earth

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