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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: chip · season · stand · rash · fan · bulb · shower · game

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. game — a match
  4. chip — to eat
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. stand — to bear
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. bulb — for light
  13. shower — to wash
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. rash — a series
  16. shower — rain
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. bulb — for light
  19. season — in sport
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. rash — hasty
  22. chip — for betting
  23. game — wild animals
  24. bulb — of a plant

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