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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. spring — a coil
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. spring — the season
  8. snap — to click
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. chip — for betting
  11. perch — the fish
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. land — a country
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. chip — to eat
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. land — ground
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. spring — of water

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