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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: snap · trunk · chip · cell · field · rash · fan · board

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. rash — a series
  5. chip — to eat
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. cell — in biology
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. field — for sport
  13. field — a subject
  14. snap — to click
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. rash — hasty
  17. cell — a phone
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. board — a committee
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. field — farmland
  22. board — to get on
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. chip — in a computer

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