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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. rush — hurry
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. chest — of your body
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. chip — for betting
  9. date — the fruit
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. perch — the fish
  12. chip — to eat
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. chest — a box
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. chest — of your body
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. wake — a trail
  24. coach — a trainer

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