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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: mate · fan · shower · chip · bat · bay · fine · spell

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. spell — magic
  3. spell — letters
  4. mate — a partner
  5. spell — a short time
  6. shower — to wash
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. fine — all right
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. mate — a friend
  14. mate — to breed
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. shower — rain
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. fine — high quality
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. chip — to eat
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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