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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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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: pit · fan · lash · board · leaves · bear · cold · chip

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. bear — the animal
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. pit — in a race
  9. cold — not warm
  10. chip — for betting
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. board — a committee
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. bear — the animal
  18. cold — an illness
  19. board — to get on
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. chip — to eat
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. pit — a hole

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