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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: snap · chip · kick · nail · mine · game · straw · fan

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. game — a match
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. kick — in football
  8. game — wild animals
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. snap — to click
  13. mine — for digging
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. chip — for betting
  24. chip — to eat

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