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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 am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. chair — a leader
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. march — music
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. rest — what's left
  13. march — the month
  14. can — a tin
  15. chip — for betting
  16. can — to be able to
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. chip — to eat
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. rest — what's left
  21. march — the month
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. rest — a break
  24. can — a tin

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