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

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. chip — for betting
  3. stock — goods
  4. land — a country
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. stem — to come from
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. rock — a stone
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. stock — shares
  14. chip — to eat
  15. land — ground
  16. land — to come down
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. rock — music
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. perch — the fish
  24. rock — to move gently

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