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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 is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. perch — the fish
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. degree — an amount
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. court — of a king
  8. charge — electricity
  9. chip — for betting
  10. tear — from crying
  11. chip — to eat
  12. tear — from crying
  13. charge — in control
  14. degree — from a university
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. court — of law
  17. deal — to handle
  18. court — for sport
  19. root — of a word
  20. root — the cause
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. root — of a plant
  23. charge — a price
  24. degree — temperature

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