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

Word bank: row · snap · bear · racket · chip · fan · ruler · march

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. snap — to click
  8. bear — the animal
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. row — to paddle
  11. chip — to eat
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. march — the month
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. bear — the animal
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. row — a line
  23. chip — for betting
  24. march — music

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