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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. can — a tin
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. ball — a great time
  8. pit — in a race
  9. march — the month
  10. march — the month
  11. march — music
  12. ball — a dance
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. can — to be able to
  15. pit — a hole
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. chip — to eat
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. game — wild animals
  21. can — a tin
  22. game — a match
  23. chip — for betting
  24. fan — to cool the air

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