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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. perch — the fish
  4. bore — to drill
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. clip — to cut
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. pound — a weight
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. root — the cause
  13. cell — in biology
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. cell — a phone
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. root — of a plant
  19. clip — for paper
  20. root — of a word
  21. chip — to eat
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. bore — to tire
  24. clip — a video

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