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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. roll — a cake
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. chip — for betting
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. chip — to eat
  8. track — to keep track
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. track — a song
  11. land — a country
  12. land — ground
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. track — a path
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. land — to come down
  20. perch — the fish
  21. roll — a list
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. wave — of the sea

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