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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 116 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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. staff — employees
  4. chip — to eat
  5. charge — a price
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. capital — money
  8. cell — in biology
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. chip — for betting
  14. staff — a stick
  15. cell — a phone
  16. capital — a city
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. fork — in a road
  19. perch — the fish
  20. charge — electricity
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. staff — employees
  23. charge — in control
  24. cell — in a prison

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