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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. fall — to drop
  5. chip — for betting
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. bass — the fish
  8. staff — a stick
  9. chip — to eat
  10. staff — employees
  11. fall — the season
  12. capital — a city
  13. capital — money
  14. perch — the fish
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. fall — to drop
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. bass — low music
  22. pitch — completely
  23. staff — employees
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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