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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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. pass — a permit
  3. chip — to eat
  4. hand — in cards
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. clip — a video
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. clip — for paper
  9. object — a thing
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. prune — to trim
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. object — an aim
  15. perch — the fish
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. roll — a list
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. roll — a cake
  20. object — to protest
  21. chip — for betting
  22. hand — help
  23. clip — to cut
  24. prune — to trim

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