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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 116 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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. chip — for betting
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. march — the month
  6. field — farmland
  7. march — music
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. chip — to eat
  11. pass — a permit
  12. field — for sport
  13. present — a gift
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. rest — a break
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. field — a subject
  18. kick — in football
  19. rest — what's left
  20. present — the time now
  21. present — there
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. march — the month
  24. rest — what's left

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