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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 120 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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. spring — of water
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. spell — magic
  5. spring — a coil
  6. chip — to eat
  7. fine — all right
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. kid — child
  10. fine — high quality
  11. spring — the season
  12. perch — the fish
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. spell — letters
  16. pound — a weight
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. spell — a short time
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. kid — to tease
  23. dip — to sink
  24. perch — for a bird

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