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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  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. land — ground
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. roll — a list
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. row — a line
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. shower — rain
  11. row — to paddle
  12. bulb — for light
  13. perch — the fish
  14. shower — to wash
  15. chip — to eat
  16. land — to come down
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. chip — for betting
  19. bulb — for light
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. land — a country
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. roll — a cake
  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