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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. chip — for betting
  4. wound — an injury
  5. chair — a leader
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. wound — an injury
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. chip — to eat
  11. fork — in a road
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. mine — for digging
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. wake — a trail
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. pound — a weight
  24. chair — a professorship

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