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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. chip — to eat
  3. fine — all right
  4. pit — a hole
  5. chip — for betting
  6. game — wild animals
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. bore — to drill
  9. march — the month
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. pop — to visit
  12. bore — to tire
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. pop — music
  15. fine — high quality
  16. perch — the fish
  17. march — music
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. pop — soda
  21. march — the month
  22. pit — in a race
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. chip — in 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