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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. rule — government
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. mug — a cup
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. prune — to trim
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. wound — an injury
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. chip — for betting
  13. mug — a face
  14. rule — a law
  15. perch — the fish
  16. prune — to trim
  17. chip — to eat
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. wound — an injury

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