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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. plane — a tool
  4. fall — to drop
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. land — to come down
  8. tear — from crying
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. land — ground
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. land — a country
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fall — the season
  17. rush — hurry
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. tear — to rip
  21. chip — to eat
  22. chip — for betting
  23. tear — from crying
  24. perch — the fish

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