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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. lie — to recline
  3. rash — a series
  4. mark — a grade
  5. chip — to eat
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. perch — the fish
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. game — a match
  15. bat — the animal
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. chip — for betting
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. clip — a video
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. clip — to cut
  22. clip — for paper
  23. rash — hasty
  24. game — wild animals

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