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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: staff · fan · mouse · wave · fall · chip · foot · pit

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. pit — in a race
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. staff — a stick
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. foot — a measure
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. pit — a hole
  11. staff — employees
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. fall — the season
  15. fall — to drop
  16. chip — for betting
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. staff — employees
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. fall — to drop
  24. mouse — for a computer

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