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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. chip — to eat
  4. chip — for betting
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. band — a music group
  7. net — for catching
  8. foot — a measure
  9. perch — the fish
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. date — the fruit
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. ball — a great time
  14. net — after costs
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. band — a ring
  18. tear — to rip
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. net — in sport
  21. tear — from crying
  22. ball — a dance
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. tear — from crying

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